Head of Bhairava

Description This hollow, mask-like head, carved and finished only in the front, is a typical Newar creation. Although it represents Bhairava, such heads (without a body) are used in bacchanalian rituals during the annual festival devoted to the god Indra. The festival of Indra, a deity of Vedic origin, was once extensively popular across the subcontinent, but seems to have survived only in Nepal.

Exhibitions

• 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. 2001-2003.

Provenance John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 2009, by gift.

Credit Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2009