CATALOGUE no. 33 SANDSTONE SHIVA LINGHAM
NORTHERN INDIA
PROBABLY UTTAR PRADESH
8TH – 9TH CENTURY
H. 36 CMS, 14 INS
A large and impressive pale buff sandstone sculpture of a single-faced lingham (the sacred phallic form of Shiva), the face with an intense spiritual gaze, with long tresses secured by a diadem.
The Hindu god Shiva is frequently worshipped in the form of the lingham, an erect phallus. Rather than being charged with sexuality, the lingham is regarded more as a symbol of Shiva’s energy and potential.
Reference: For a closely related four headed Brahma, also from Uttar Pradesh – see cat. no. 36 in P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals: A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, L.A. County Museum of Art, 1977.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.