Accession Number
1977/2.103

Title
Bhairava (?), head

Artist(s)
Indian

Artist Nationality
Indian (South Asian)

Object Creation Date
18th century

Medium & Support
brass or copper alloy

Dimensions
9 1/2 in x 9 1/16 in x 6 1/8 in (24.2 cm x 23 cm x 15.5 cm);9 1/2 in x 9 1/16 in x 6 1/8 in (24.2 cm x 23 cm x 15.5 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Leo S. Figiel and Dr. and Mrs. Steven J. Figiel.

Label copy
March 28, 2009
This life-sized head contains a hollow core made to fit on top of a staff, allowing it to be raised and carried in procession, animating further its large, dramatic features. Its circular form and rough handling are typical of sacred sculptures made in village workshops throughout the subcontinent, where figures of this type were dedicated to temples by donors and taken out in procession during festivals. Images like this one, with its large canines and huge circular pupils, provided a popular and playful counterpart to more refined images of gods found inside temples and on their stone surfaces.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)

Subject matter
Labeled as Bhairava, this folk bronze can either be considered a face of the god or of one of his ghoulish followers. Without other attributes, such as weapons in his hands, it is impossible to tell exactly what this face represents, but the Shaiva affiliation is obvious from the ghoulish nature of the face and the presence of the lines across his forehead that designate the figure as related to Shiva. Shiva as Bhairava is associated with the cremation grounds and lots of impure things, placing him outside society and in a position to dissociate himself for things of the world and consequently approach religious release from the world, a goal in Indian religious philosophies. This relates to Tantric practices in other Indian derived religions.

Physical Description
Almost life size, this stylized face was probably placed upon a shaft and used as a religious standard at a temple. The face consists of almost a perfect circle with large ears to either side. His mouth is open showing tiny saw tooth like teeth with large canines at either end. His eyes are large and wide open with huge circular pupils and a heavy eyebrows and luxurious moustache. Horizontal lines on his forehead are signs of a follower of Shiva.

Primary Object Classification
Ritual Object

Primary Object Type
figure

Additional Object Classification(s)
Metalwork

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
Hinduism
head
heads (animal components)