Kali
Unknown Artist
900s–1000s
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
46.7 × 20.4 × 15.4 cm · base: 11.4 × 15.2 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Norweb Collection
Accession Number
1956.7
About this artwork
The female aspect of Shiva, the goddess Parvati, has her own cycle of myths, and she herself emanates into different forms. Some branches of Hinduism consider the goddess to be the supreme creator divinity herself, who generated all the other gods, including Shiva. This bronze sculpture could have been affiliated with either branch. Kali is the wrathful form of the goddess generated in the midst of a battle with a demon that the gods failed to conquer. Kali was to drink his blood before any drop...