Standing Shiva
Unknown Artist
ca. 13th century
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
H. 17 in. (43.2 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
India (Kerala)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Margery and Harry Kahn, 1979
Accession Number
1979.508
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Standing Shiva*, a masterful 13th-century bronze sculpture Kerala, India, standing at an elegant 17 inches tall. Crafted by an unknown artist, this piece exemplifies the region's rich tradition of devotional metalwork, where Shiva—the Hindu god of destruction and renewal—is depicted in a poised, standing posture. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Department, it was generously gifted by Margery and Harry Kahn 1979. Bronze was the medium of choice for South Indian sculptures like this one, prized for its durability and luminous patina, achieved through lost-wax castin...