The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 13, 2024

Shiva Under Trees

Shiva Under Trees

c. 1780
Location: not on view

Description

Cut from a larger composition, this fragment shows the god Shiva who has come down to earth. He seems alluringly approachable despite his white body, the snake around his neck, his third eye, trident weapon, animal-skin garment, and the crescent moon at his brow. Set off against a flat red background, he stands under two shade trees that make his manifestation on earth believable. One tree is entwined around the other, metaphorically suggesting the physical love Shiva seems to wistfully desire.
  • ?-1960
    (Heeramaneck Galleries, New York, NY, ?-1960, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1960-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1960-present
  • Supernatural Love - Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 1-September 9, 2019).
    Year in Review - Nineteen Hundred Sixty. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 30, 1960-January 1, 1961).
  • {{cite web|title=Shiva Under Trees|url=false|author=|year=c. 1780|access-date=13 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1960.48