Indra/ Indrani

Indra/ Indrani

Indra was mentioned in religious hymns as a powerful god since about 1500 BCE. But as time went by, his significance diminished. In later texts, and for today’s Hindu believers in India, he is only one of the guardians of the cardinal directions, that of the East. Indra and his wife Indrani still play an important role in Nepal. Effigies of Indra are carried through the streets during an annual festival.

Details

  • Title : Indra/ Indrani
  • Year : c. 1600 - c. 1700
  • Classification : Sculpture
  • Medium : Bronze, Gilding, precious and semi-precious stones
  • Dimension : h 27.1 cm × w 28.7 cm × d 16.2 cm
  • Accession No : Object number: AK-MAK-1393
  • Country/ Geo-location : NEPAL
  • Collection : Rijksmuseum
  • Credit Line : On loan from the Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase kunsthandel Annapurna, 1984)
  • Acquisition Method : loan 1984
  • Status : On display in Asian pavilion, room 2
  • Provenance : From the dealer Annapurna, fl. 17,000, with support from the bequest of Mr R.P. Cleveringa, to the Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst, June 1984;{Note RMA.} from whom on loan to the museum, 1984
  • Documentation : *Asiatic art in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, p. 145, cat.nr. 158 *Art of Nepal : a catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art collection *New studies into Indian and Himalayan sculpture, cat.nr. 99 *Asian art, cat.nr. 15