Kali

Cleveland Museum of Art

Kali

Date
900s–1000s
Medium
bronze
Culture
South India, Tamil Nadu, Chola period (900-13th century)
Department
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Institution
Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID
134215

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

The female aspect of Shiva, the goddess Parvati, has her own cycle of myths, and she herself emanates into different forms. Some branches of Hinduism consider the goddess to be the supreme creator divinity herself, who generated all the other gods, including Shiva. This bronze sculpture could have been affiliated with either branch. Kali is the wrathful form of the goddess generated in the midst of a battle with a demon that the gods failed to conquer. Kali was to drink his blood before any drop fell to ground, or else a new demon would instantly be generated. The demons are metaphors for human vices, such as egotistic pride and arrogance.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
The Norweb Collection
Provenance
?-1956: Mrs. R. Henry [Emery May Holden] Norweb [1895-1984], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art | 1956-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

  • Representative object from the topic Hindu Deities and Mythology
    Hindu Deities and Mythology

    These objects depict Hindu gods, goddesses, and mythological narratives, particularly featuring Durga slaying the buffalo demon Mahishasura, along with other deities like Ganesh, Krishna, and Brahma from various South an

    59 objects from 3 institutions

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