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Shiva as Lord of the Heavens, Earth, and Underworld
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
This visually striking picture is iconographically baffling and unique. The deity has been identified as Kalagni Rudra, or the All-Consuming-Fire-That-Is-Time, which may explain the conceptual framework for the image but is not a specific iconographic form. The three realms of this painting are identified in the inscription as the netherworld, earth, and realm of the gods. Shiva seems to stretch from the heavens above to the netherworld, symbolized by the snake pit, which emphasizes his cosmic nature. As is frequently the case in Pahari paintings, he has only two arms, which hold the trident and the rattle drum. The artist's compositional choice to connect the celestial and nether realms by two fiery borders is curious. The engulfing nature of fire, and, by extension, time, seems to be implied.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Charles Ewart, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, September 17, 1973, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 2001-2003 | Desire and Devotion: Art from India, Nepal, and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque; Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham; Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong. |
Geographies
India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 10 x W: 7 3/4 in. (25.4 x 19.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2013
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
W.926