Uma is a mother goddess, and she is depicted here as turning toward her consort, the Hindu god Shiva, a companion sculpture from which this image of Uma has been separated. The grace and femininity of this solid-cast figure are balanced by her confident gesture and expression. She embodies the creative energy of God and the beauty of his creation.
In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism have continued to flourish simultaneously, in contrast to Tibet, which is predominantly Buddhist, and India, where Buddhism was no longer practised after the 14th century.
Details
- Title : Goddess Uma
- Year : 1000s
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Gilt bronze and semiprecious stones
- Dimension : Overall: 35.6 x 27.9 x 25.4 cm (14 x 11 x 10 in.)
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Period : 11th Century
- Collection : The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Credit Line : Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Status : On View 237 Himalayan
- Collection : Nepalese Art
- Department : Indian and Southeast Asian Art
- Provenance : Pan Asian Collection
- Exhibition history : Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1977: "The Sensuous Immortals," cat. no. 96, p. 166, reproduced. *CMA, 1983: "Year in Review 1982," CMA Bulletin LXX (January, 1983), p. 54, no. 104, repr. p. 30. *Art Institute of Chicago (4/5/2003 - 7/27/2003) and The Freer Gallery of Art (10/19/2003 - 1/11/2003): "Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure" exh. cat. no. 8, p. 32. *The Cleveland Museum of Art (06/28/2009 - 08/30/2009); "Streams and Mountains Without End: Asian Art and the Legacy of Sherman E. Lee at the Cleveland Museum of Art" *Royal Academy of Arts, London (9/15/2012 - 12/9/2012): "Bronze", ex. cat. no. 55, p. 149. *The Year in Review for 1982. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 6, 1983). *Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure. The Art Institute of Chicago (organizer) (April 5-August 17, 2003); Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC (October 19, 2003-January 11, 2004). *Honoring Sherman Lee. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 28-August 30, 2009). *Bronze. Royal Academy of Arts (organizer) (September 15-December 9, 2012).