Shiva Bearing Aloft the Body of His Sati
Unknown Artist
c. 1890
Medium
Gum tempera, graphite, ink, and tin on paper
Dimensions
painting only: 45.6 × 27.8 cm · secondary support: 48 × 29.1 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of William E. Ward in memory of his wife, Evelyn Svec Ward
Accession Number
2003.131
About this artwork
This unusual image portrays Shiva holding aloft the corpse of his wife Sati with his trident. Sati immolated herself because of the hostility directed toward her husband Shiva by her father Daksha. The shadowy figure with blood emerging from the nose and heart is reminiscent of images of death (mrtu pat) found among the magic painter-minstrels (jada patua) of the Santal tribals of Bihar. The shadow is missing its right hand. In this connection, Shiva carried his wife until Vishnu cut the body in...