The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Monkey General Hanuman

Monkey General Hanuman

c. 1000
(900s–1200s)
bronze
height: 58.4 cm (23 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1980.26
Location: 243 Indian and Southeast Asian

Did You Know?

Hanuman stands on a lotus pedestal with slightly upturned petals.

Description

Hanuman is one of the most popular heroic figures of the epic Ramayana. In the story, he was indispensable in the search for the abducted wife of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu. He is able to fly through the air and lift mountains, but here he is shown as a humble servant of the god. His gestures signify his humility and he bows slightly in reverence to his master.

Bronzes during the Chola period spanning the 800s to 1200s were solid cast, using the lost-wax method. Each one is unique and would have been kept in the treasury of the temple until the festival day when the presence of the deity is invited to reside in the sculpture, which is then bathed, dressed, and paraded through the streets. This figure would have been paraded with a group of other images depicting Rama, his wife, and his brother.
  • ?–1980
    (Spink & Son, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1980–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1980.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 68, no. 6 (1981): 163–219. Mentioned: no. 290, pp. 164 and 219; Reproduced: no. 290, p. 201. www.jstor.org
    Dehejia, Vidya. The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. New York: American Federation of Arts, 2002. Mentioned: pp. 189–190, no. 48; Reproduced: pp. 192–193.
    Czuma, Stanislaw J., "A Procession of the Gods", Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 43 no. 06, Summer 2003 Mentioned & reproduced: p. 4-5 archive.org
  • Epic Tales from Ancient India: Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art. Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (organizer) (July 9-October 15, 2017).
    The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India. National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC (November 10, 2002-March 9, 2003); The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (April 4-June 15, 2003); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 6-September 14, 2003).
    Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981).
  • {{cite web|title=Monkey General Hanuman|url=false|author=|year=c. 1000|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.26