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Goddess Holding a Lotus
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Sculptors worked to create an ideal figure that would be worthy of holding the sacred presence of a goddess. They referenced a system of proportions and attributes, such as the lotus she holds, described in sacred Hindu texts.Solar medallions and floral vines referencing the sunlight and water necessary for life adorn her skirt. Her lotus pedestal indicates that she is divine. When brought out for public viewing and processions, the sculpture was draped with textiles and flowers. This sculpture may have been made in the workshop of the Chola queen Sembiyan Mahadevi, whose husband reigned from 941 to 957.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineGoddess Holding a Lotus, c. 950. South India, Tamil Nadu, Chola period (800s–1200s). Bronze; overall: 64.1 cm (25 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1984.2
