"Linga" with One Face

Description The "linga," or "sign," of the god Shiva is sometimes conceived as a cosmic pillar so high the creator-god Brahma could not reach its summit and so deep the god Vishnu failed to find its base. Shiva revealed his superiority to the other chief Hindu gods by emerging from the pillar. Here, just his face is shown, with the locks of his hair arranged like those of a meditating hermit, or yogi.

Exhibitions

• Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque. 2001-2003.

Provenance John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2003, by gift.

Credit Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2003