The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 27, 2024

Female Tree Deity with Attendant

Female Tree Deity with Attendant

c. 973
Location: not on view

Description

Memories of the nature divinities so important on the exterior of ancient Buddhist sites persist in female figures such as this on Hindu temples of the medieval period. Her form personifies fecundity, and the mango tree with which she is integrated bursts into the fruits that dangle down the side of the sculpture. Her attendant gazes into a mirror. This sculpture exemplifies the stylistic characteristics of the 10th century, with the exaggerated thrust of her hip, and dense, crisply rendered areas of jewelry offset by smooth planes of flesh. Facial features are articulated with linear clarity and sharp outlines. These idealized female figures convey the notion of auspicious abundance and prosperity in the created world, which are benefits of worship and support of the temple.
  • “Year in Review.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 54, no. 10 (December 1967): 302–347. Mentioned: p. 347, no. 169; Reproduced: p. 333, no. 169 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 234 archive.org
    Lerner, Martin. “Some Unpublished Sculpture from Harshagiri.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 56, no. 10 (December 1969): 354–364. Reproduced: p. 358, fig. 5 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 301 archive.org
    Morris, Rekha, "Sense and Sensitivity: Sherman Lee's Impact on the Collection of North Indian Sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art," Orientations, vol. 36, no.1, pp. 92-93. Reproduced: p. 93
  • Year in Review: 1967. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 29-December 31, 1967).
  • {{cite web|title=Female Tree Deity with Attendant|url=false|author=|year=c. 973|access-date=27 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1967.202