Plaque depicting Virabhadra and associated deities

Date19th century

MediumBrass

DimensionsOverall: 8 3/4 × 7 1/16 × 7/8 in. (22.2 × 17.9 × 2.2 cm)

Credit LineGift of William G. Roehrick, Class of 1934, H1971

Object number1994.40

On view

DescriptionThe myths of Hinduism have engendered some of the most complex modes of pictorial storytelling in art. These stories involve a wide cast of characters, including the many gods of the Hindu pantheon and their numerous manifestations. This modern brass plaque portrays Virabhadra, a ferocious aspect of the deity Shiva. The hood of a snake shelters the adorned Virabhadra, whose jewelry, flowers, rich clothing, and multiple arms are typical of the iconography of Hindu gods and goddesses. Read counterclockwise, Virabhadra holds the damaru (a small two-headed drum) in his upper left hand, a trident in his upper right hand, and a sword and possibly a shield in his lower right and left hands, respectively. The presence of a crescent moon, the bull that is Shiva’s vahana (vehicle), a linga (an iconic emblem of Shiva) in the top margin of the plaque, and the wooden clogs that signify Shiva’s distinction as an ascetic, further support the identification of the central figure as a manifestation of Shiva. The smaller figure to Virabhadra’s right is likely Daksha, who was a priest and a minor deity. Daksha is identifiable from his goat head, which he received when he was resurrected following an encounter with Virabhadra in which he had been beheaded. The figure to Virabhadra’s left may be identified as either the goddess Sati or Parvati. Sati was Shiva’s consort at the time of his encounter as Virabhadra with Daksha. Sati would later be reborn as the goddess Parvati. Arathi Menon, Assistant Professor of Art History, Hamilton College, 2022 Terracotta and stone plaques featuring deities were created in India even before the Common Era. Although the function of such plaques is unknown, they likely served a votive function, perhaps at shrines, where they would have been presented in fulfillment of a vow or to accompany a prayer. This plaque is a more modern example, made from a mold, as terracotta examples would have been, but from brass rather than clay. Brass has long been used to create freestanding and relief sculptures in India: its production on the subcontinent dates to the late first millennium BCE, and the process of smelting zinc—the main ingredient, along with copper, in any brass alloy—is believed to have originated there. One benefit of using brass for such castings is that it resists corrosion. This plaque maintains the shape and compositional arrangement of the earlier prototypes on which it is based. (SOURCE: Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS, 2017)

Collections

On View

Additional Details

Exhibition History 2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).

2017
Clinton, NY (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College). "Innovative Approaches, Honored Traditions: The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art at Five Years, Highlights from the Permanent Collection," September 9 - December 10, 2017 (cat. no. 35, illus.);

2014
Clinton, NY (Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College). "Find and Seek," September 2014 - August 28, 2015 (no catalog).

Provenance 1994: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by gift of William G. Roehrick.

Published References Katherine D. Alcauskas, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, HONORED TRADITIONS: THE RUTH AND ELMER WELLIN MUSEUM OF ART AT FIVE YEARS, HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION (Clinton, NY: Wellin Museum of Art, 2017), p. 108;

Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, FRIENDS OF ART NEWSLETTER (August 1995), Acquisitions 1994