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Indian, India Tamil Nadu

Shiva Nataraja, the King of Dance, 1500s

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Indian

Title

Shiva Nataraja, the King of Dance

Year

1500s

Medium

Bronze

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bronze

Techniques

  • lost-wax process

Dimensions

Height: 117.5 cm (46 1/4 inches)

Place

India; Tamil Nadu

Type

  • Sculpture

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

33.026

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Indian Art for the RISD Collection

August 23, 1985 - March 9, 1986

Shiva, one of the three main gods of the Hindu pantheon, reveals himself in an extraoridinary array of manifestations. Here he is seen as the King of Dancers performing the dance of cosmic bliss. By means of attributes, gestures, and pose, he symbolizes the five essential acts (pancakrityas) which identify him as the all-encompassing creator, sustainer, destroyer, giver of solace, and dispeller of fear. This sculpture is ample testimony to the extraordinary skills of the South Indian bronze casters who worked in the vast kingdom of Vijayanagar (1336-1546).

Asian Art Galleries

Shiva, as Nataraja, gracefully performs the dance of bliss, creating and destroying the cosmic world in an eternal cycle of regeneration. The double-sided drum in his farthest right hand symbolizes creation while the flame on his left hand suggests destruction. When he first performed this dance to convince skeptics back to the Hindu faith, he was tempted by a tiger, snake, and demon. Shiva prevailed and is depicted wearing a snake belt and animal loincloth, standing on a demonic figure.

Large individual bronzes such as this were worshiped in temples and carried outside for religious processions and festivals. This sculpture showcases the mastery of bronze casting techniques in India. Although called "bronze," an alloy of the metals gold, silver, copper, tin, lead or zinc, was traditionally the ideal material used in creating these images. The metals correlated to the five elements that consitute the universe - earth, water, fire, air, and ether - emphasizing the divine nature of the sculptures.

Rockefeller Asian Art Gallery

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Shiva Nataraja, the King of Dance with the accession number of 33.026. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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