The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 24, 2025

Shiva Seated on a Throne in a Landscape

c. 1755

Northern India, Pahari kingdoms

gum tempera on paper
Page: 30.2 x 21.9 cm (11 7/8 x 8 5/8 in.); Image: 28.3 x 19.8 cm (11 1/8 x 7 13/16 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.113
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Shiva is clad in tiger hide wrapped around his waist.

Description

Shiva is depicted sitting on snakes coiled up together on a royal seat. The scene is set in a rocky mountainous setting with a row of trees in the background. In the paintings from Chamba, Shiva is usually depicted with a white complexion in three-quarter view. This formula has remained consistent for over a century with very few exceptions.
  • 1967–2001
    Ralph Benkaim [1914–2001], Beverly Hills, CA, by descent to his wife Catherine Glynn Benkaim
    2001–2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Shiva Seated on a Throne in a Landscape|url=false|author=|year=c. 1755|access-date=24 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.113