The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2023

Pediment with the Face of Glory (Kirti-mukha)

c. 1000s

Northern India

Sandstone

Overall: 50.8 x 94 cm (20 x 37 in.)

The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 1988.102

Location

244 Indian and Southeast Asian

Fun Fact

Irises and pupils have been lightly incised into the bulging eyes.

Description

Throughout India, sculptures of horned mythic beasts spewing stylized foliage were built into temples, above the entryways, in line with the sanctum. Known as the “face (mukha) of glory (kirti),” the protective mask emanates divine energy from the heart of the temple. The scrolling vegetation flowing from the mouth visually references the unending bounty and success that derives from worship and devotions.

Provenance
?-1988
(Spink & Son, Ltd., London, UK, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1988-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
“The Year in Review for 1988.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 76, no. 2, 1989, pp. 30–75. Mentioned: no. 224, p. 75; Reproduced: no. 224, p. 74 www.jstor.org
Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1988. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-May 14, 1989).

Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1988.102