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A Guardian of Shiva
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Guardians at Shiva temples sometimes appear as a form of the deity himself. Carved in the ornate style favored by kings of the Hoyshala dynasty (1026–1343), this four-armed figure holds a drum that indicates the ongoing passage of time in his upper right hand. In his upper left hand, he holds a staff surmounted by a decomposing head of the god of creation, Brahma. The soft contours of the face, complete with third eye of knowledge, temper his ferocity and create a gently alluring figure.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineA Guardian of Shiva, 1200s. Southwestern India, Karnataka. Chloritic schist; overall: 113.3 x 49.2 x 29 cm (44 5/8 x 19 3/8 x 11 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 1964.369
