  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  Artists in southern India made this sculpture of the Hindu goddess Parvati for festival processions, when gods and goddesses emerge from their temples to greet devotees in the surrounding city, village, or countryside. The rings at the base would have accommodated rods used to secure the sculpture within a chariot or palanquin (a wheelless vehicle carried on poles). 
First creating a model in wax, then making a clay mold to cast the sculpture in metal, the artists carefully rendered Parvati&acirc;&#128;&#153;s intricate jewelry, patterned garment, and neatly spiraling curls of hair, which fall against the back of her neck. But traditionally, these details would not have been visible to most viewers. Whether on procession or in the temple, during times of worship Parvati would have been covered in real silks, jewelry, and flower garlands &acirc;&#128;&#148; offerings that adorn and honor the goddess.
  
  
  Title
  Parvati
  
  
  Artwork Date
  13th century
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Indian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Copper alloy
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 40 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 15 3/4 &Atilde;&#151; 14 1/4 inches (103.5 &Atilde;&#151; 40 &Atilde;&#151; 36.2 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Sculpture
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Sarah Bacon Hill Fund
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  41.81
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
