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Amorous Couple (Mithuna)
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Amorous couples were among the most prevalent imagery on the exterior of sacred sites in early India. Their life-affirming imagery was considered auspicious. This roundel would have been part of a brick structure, since terracotta was typically used in the ornamentation of brick temples, instead of stone.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAmorous Couple (Mithuna), 400s. Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Ahichchatra, Gupta period (c. 320-550). Terracotta; overall: 38.5 x 37 cm (15 3/16 x 14 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1971.133
