Medieval · Rijksmuseum · 200106309
Shiva Nataraja
anonymous, Tamil Nadu, c. 1100 - c. 1200
Rijksmuseum · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · AK-MAK-187 · Public Domain · On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt, 1935) · Public domain
- Artist
- anonymous, Tamil Nadu
- Date
- c. 1100 - c. 1200
- Medium
- bronze
- Dimensions
- depth 44 cm × width 73.5 cm × height 19 cm × height 153 cm × width 114.5 cm
- Era
- Medieval
Why it matters
Shiva, in his manifestation as Nataraja (King of Dancers), represented in the anandatandava pose and encircled by a halo of fire, is both the creator and destroyer of the world. Beneath his foot is a dwarf, symbolizing ignorance. Richly decorated bronze figures of Hindu gods were carried in procession on feast days. Carrying poles were inserted through the rings on the base.