Creative Commons License
Cover of a Shaiva Manuscript
(India, Nepal, and Tibet)
The four outer figures on each side are kings of the primary and intermediate directions of the compass. The white shaft at the center is a four-faced linga, or "sign," of the god Shiva. Paying homage to the linga are the creator-god Brahma and his spouse on the left, and Vishnu and his spouse on the right. Shiva created a shaft, a cosmic pillar, so tall that Brahma could not reach its top and Vishnu could not find its bottom. Shiva, demonstrating his supremacy, then appeared in the pillar.
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.
Lama Gallery, Bombay, India; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, January 18, 1969, 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
Nepal (Place of Origin)
Measurements
Wooded section L: 22 1/2 × W: 1 3/4 × D: 1/2 in. (57.2 × 4.5 × 1.2 cm); Metal section L: 22 5/8 × W: 2 3/16 × D: 11/16 in. (57.5 × 5.5 × 1.8 cm)
Credit Line
Promised gift of John and Berthe Ford
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.
F.137