Linga Altar with Four Faces of Shiva
Unknown Artist
dated 1045
Medium
Copper alloy
Dimensions
H. 5 1/2 in. (14 cm); L. 7 in. (17.8 cm); Diam. of base 5 in. (6.8 cm); Wt. 15 lbs (6.8 kg)
Classification
Metalwork
Culture & Period
Nepal (Kathmandu Valley) · Thakuri period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Gift of Samuel Eilenberg, 1987
Accession Number
1987.142.314
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, this exquisite *Linga Altar with Four of Shiva* dates precisely to 1045, a rarity in ancient metalwork. Crafted copper alloy by an unknown artist from Nepal's Kathmandu Valley during the Thakuri period it measures a compact 5½ inches high and 7 inches long yet weighs a substantial 15 pounds—testifying to its dense, cast construction. The linga, Shiva's sacred aniconic symbol of cosmic creation and destruction, rises from a rounded base, crowned by four carved faces representing the deity's omnipresent aspects facing the cardinal...