COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1982.64
amicoid
CMA_.1982.64
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1998
aly
1998
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Sculpture
oty
Sculpture
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
crc
Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Dates/Places:
India
cdt
India
Creator Dates/Places
false
Creator Name-CRT:
India, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho style, 11th century
crt
India, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho style, 11th century
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Lovers (Mithuna)
otn
Lovers (Mithuna)
Title
false
Title Type:
Primary
ott
Primary
Title Type
false
View:
Full View
rid
Full View
View
false
Creation Date:
11th century
oct
11th century
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
1000
ocs
1000
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
1099
oce
1099
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
red sandstone
omd
red sandstone
Materials and Techniques
false
Style or Period:
Khajuraho style
std
Khajuraho style
Style or Period
false
Dimensions:
Overall: 74cm
met
Overall: 74cm
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
oon
The Cleveland Museum of Art
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
oop
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1982.64
ooa
1982.64
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
ooc
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html"target="_new">http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html</a>
Rights
false
Context:
The function of many Hindu sculptures of the medieval, or Hindu dynasties, period (from the sixth century onward) was to decorate the exterior walls of temples. A great profusion and variety of sculptures gave those monuments an exuberance unequaled during any other period. The Hindu temple was a favorite community meeting place and these sculptures inspired and instructed the populace and were admired by thousands of viewers. The monuments well known for this profusion of sculptural decoration are the temples of Khajuraho, which represent the "erotic genre" of sculpture, very popular in medieval India. The amorous couple is a very ancient and popular theme in Indian art. During the period of the Hindu dynasties, however, this subject takes on an especially erotic connotation to which various factors contributed. Some see it as the symbolic union of the soul and the divine stimulated to a degree by Tantric rituals and practices, others speculate that it was the result, or product, of a contemporary society. Practices such as temple prostitution and the popularity of the love-manual, Kamaes?tra, must have greatly contributed to the interest in this subject matter. The temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, built under the auspices of the Candella dynasty (tenth to eleventh centuries), and the Sun Temple in Konarak, a product of the Ganga dynasty built in the fourteenth century, are the best known monuments of erotic sculpture. The present sculpture represents a typical Khajuraho style. The couple is shown in an embrace, kissing, while the male, whose masculinity is emphasized by a beard and mustache, is about to disrobe his partner. The female's clothing consists only of a transparent muslin skirt, hardly covering her thighs. Her passion is emphasized by the rapid twist of her body and the upward turn of her head. This rapid movement and the almost angular position of the limbs, which emphasizes the movement, are characteristic of the Khajuraho sculpture. The two figures are totally engrossed in each other--connoting gentle eroticism. S.C.
cxd
The function of many Hindu sculptures of the medieval, or Hindu dynasties, period (from the sixth century onward) was to decorate the exterior walls of temples. A great profusion and variety of sculptures gave those monuments an exuberance unequaled during any other period. The Hindu temple was a favorite community meeting place and these sculptures inspired and instructed the populace and were admired by thousands of viewers. The monuments well known for this profusion of sculptural decoration are the temples of Khajuraho, which represent the "erotic genre" of sculpture, very popular in medieval India. The amorous couple is a very ancient and popular theme in Indian art. During the period of the Hindu dynasties, however, this subject takes on an especially erotic connotation to which various factors contributed. Some see it as the symbolic union of the soul and the divine stimulated to a degree by Tantric rituals and practices, others speculate that it was the result, or product, of a contemporary society. Practices such as temple prostitution and the popularity of the love-manual, Kamaes?tra, must have greatly contributed to the interest in this subject matter. The temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, built under the auspices of the Candella dynasty (tenth to eleventh centuries), and the Sun Temple in Konarak, a product of the Ganga dynasty built in the fourteenth century, are the best known monuments of erotic sculpture. The present sculpture represents a typical Khajuraho style. The couple is shown in an embrace, kissing, while the male, whose masculinity is emphasized by a beard and mustache, is about to disrobe his partner. The female's clothing consists only of a transparent muslin skirt, hardly covering her thighs. Her passion is emphasized by the rapid twist of her body and the upward turn of her head. This rapid movement and the almost angular position of the limbs, which emphasizes the movement, are characteristic of the Khajuraho sculpture. The two figures are totally engrossed in each other--connoting gentle eroticism. S.C.
Context
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1982.64.tif
ril
CMA_.1982.64.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false