Ardhanarishvara (The Lord as Half-Woman)

Currently not on view

Ardhanarishvara (The Lord as Half-Woman)

c. 1725

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

The god Shiva, shown here in the form of half male and half female Ardhanarishvara, represents the perfect unity of the divine. He appears as the right side of the figure, holding his distinctive hourglass drum. His wife Parvati appears as the left, carrying their son Ganesha (the elephant-headed deity). Shiva’s devoted bull and Parvati’s lion sit nearby. The portrayal of the god and goddess as one being denotes the inseparability of male and female, and signifies the duality of the created world.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Ardhanarishvara (The Lord as Half-Woman)
Shiva bilaterally joins with his wife Parvati to represent the unification of opposites

Date:

c. 1725

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Indian

Medium:

Opaque watercolor with gold on paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 8 7/8 × 5 5/8 inches (22.5 × 14.3 cm) Mount: 11 3/4 × 8 9/16 inches (29.8 × 21.7 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

Stella Kramrisch Collection, 1994

Accession Number:

1994-148-421

Geography:

Made in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Asia

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Currently not on view