The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 28, 2024

Male Fertility Divinity, Possibly Shiva

Male Fertility Divinity, Possibly Shiva

c. 120–200 CE
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This sculpture was first made from a mold, then subsequently hand modeled.

Description

This figure combines an unusual set of attributes. He has long dreadlocks over his shoulders, like an ascetic, and he holds a water pot, like a Brahmin or naga (serpent deity). Also, he seems to carry a sword and dagger like a warrior and is ithyphallic, indicating his virility and fecundity. He may best be identified as a local divinity worshipped for purposes of increasing fertility, but he could also be recognized as an early form of the Hindu god Shiva.
  • ?–1986
    (Ariane Dandois-Faye, Paris, France, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1986–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Czuma, Stanislaw J., and Rekha Morris. Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1985. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 53, p. 126
    Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1986." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74, no. 2 (1987): 38-79. Mentioned: no. 235, p. 79 www.jstor.org
  • Year in Review for 1986. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 4-March 15, 1987).
    Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 13, 1985-January 5, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Male Fertility Divinity, Possibly Shiva|url=false|author=|year=c. 120–200 CE|access-date=28 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1986.71