Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Goddess (Yakshi)
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
"Yakshis" (goddesses) and their male counterparts, "yakshas," are an ancient type of divinity in South Asia with close connections to nature. Ancient communities looked to "yakshis" and "yakshas" as protectors of the earth’s bounty. These nature-spirit deities were later adopted into the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
This goddess, festooned with necklaces, armlets, and bracelets, and holding a ripe fruit, would have been an object of worship, possibly at an outdoor shrine associated with a sacred tree or another feature in the landscape. The fruit, together with the goddess’s voluptuous breasts and thighs, signals the "yakshi’s" association with fertility.
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.
Doris Wiener, New York; purchased by John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, 1969; given to Walters Art Museum, 2003.
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, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 22 13/16 × W: 11 × D: 5 1/2 in. (58 × 28 × 14 cm); H with base: 23 1/16 in. (58.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John and Berthe Ford, 2003
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.
25.247