  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  The Hindu god Shiva possesses contrasting characteristics that help believers understand a key Hindu principle: that opposing forces in the universe are intimately linked. 
He has the dreadlocks of someone who has renounced the material world, but a bejeweled headdress holds them in place. Mismatched earrings, one long and curved, the other round, symbolize Shiva&acirc;&#128;&#153;s embodiment of both male and female qualities. One of his four hands holds an axe to cut through ignorance, while another is raised peacefully in reassurance. In a third hand, Shiva holds an antelope to convey that he is lord of all creatures, associating him with the material world &acirc;&#128;&#148; yet he is also a transcendent god. The crescent moon in his hair symbolizes the passage of time, yet as an eternal being, Shiva exists beyond temporal limitations. 
Made of metal &acirc;&#128;&#148; a more portable medium than stone &acirc;&#128;&#148; this sculpture would have been carried in grand processions that brought Shiva out of his temple, giving believers a chance to connect with the god through the powerful act of looking.
  
  
  Title
  Shiva with the Moon in his Crown
  
  
  Artwork Date
  11th 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.
  
  
  
  
  ----------
  
  
  Medium
  Copper alloy
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 18 1/4 &Atilde;&#151; 11 &Atilde;&#151; 4 inches (46.4 &Atilde;&#151; 27.9 &Atilde;&#151; 10.2 cm)
  Installed: 21 7/8 &Atilde;&#151; 11 &Atilde;&#151; 4 1/2 inches (55.6 &Atilde;&#151; 27.9 &Atilde;&#151; 11.4 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Sculpture
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase, Acquisitions 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.
  
  
  
  80.38
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
