Unspecified / c. 1020–40
Shiva and Parvati
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Shiva and Parvati as sculpture (c. 1020–40).
The posts on the sides of the pedestal once supported a halo that surrounded both figures.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as bronze.
The museum's collection notes: Bronze sculptures made during the Chola period (800s–1200s) are among the most celebrated and popular art forms of the Indian tradition. The sensual renditions of attenuated, youthful, and athletic forms are barely covered by garments and ornaments that move, yet cling to the bodies. The figures stand with a natural ease, and the volumes have been so skillfully rendered by the artists that they appear to be capable of walking the earth. Their serene and smiling expressions are completely idealized, leaving no mistake that these are gods, not humans.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtShiva and ParvatiOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.