The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Nature Divinity (Yakshi) with Dwarf Hermaphrodite

c. 100 BCE

India, Shunga period

(185–78 BCE)
terracotta
Overall: 18 cm (7 1/16 in.)
Gift of Adrienne Minassian by exchange 1972.259
Location: Not on view

Description

Nature divinities, or yakshis, are associated with the life-giving forces of plants, so her headdress includes a dramatic array of leaves and flowers. Her companion, a female figure with male genitalia, is a dwarf who has connections with the fecundity of the earth. Terracotta figurines were often venerated in domestic shrines for the ongoing prosperity of the family.
  • ?–1972
    National Museum, New Delhi, India, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art by exchange
    1972–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1972." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 60, no. 3 (1973): 63-115. Mentioned: fig. 314, p. 115 www.jstor.org
  • The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).
    Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Nature Divinity (Yakshi) with Dwarf Hermaphrodite|url=false|author=|year=c. 100 BCE|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.259