Linga with One Face ("Ekamukhalinga")

The face of the Hindu god Shiva emerges from this "linga," the “sign” or emblem through which he is most commonly worshiped. Most lingas are non-figural in form, their abstracted phallic shape alluding to Shiva’s transcendent power and generative energy. Here, Shiva is also represented in anthropomorphic form, manifesting himself to devotees. The crescent moon that adorns his elaborately arranged dreadlocks may be interpreted as a symbol of time, which is marked by the moon’s waxing and waning. Shiva’s third eye, placed vertically in his forehead, is both a symbol of his all-seeing wisdom and the source of the fire of destruction, through which he annihilates then regenerates the cosmos.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Subhash Kapoor, Temple Art, New York City; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1983; given to Walters Art Museum, 2003.