Female Tree Deity with Attendant
Unknown Artist
c. 973
Medium
sandstone
Dimensions
h. 54.6 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin
Accession Number
1967.202
About this artwork
Memories of the nature divinities so important on the exterior of ancient Buddhist sites persist in female figures such as this on Hindu temples of the medieval period. Her form personifies fecundity, and the mango tree with which she is integrated bursts into the fruits that dangle down the side of the sculpture. Her attendant gazes into a mirror. This sculpture exemplifies the stylistic characteristics of the 900s, with the exaggerated thrust of her hip, and dense, crisply rendered areas of je...