Mask of Bhairava

Date:: late 6th–7th century

Culture:: India (Jammu and Kashmir, ancient kingdom of Kashmir)

Medium:: Copper alloy, possibly brass

Dimensions:: H. 7 5/8 in. (19.4 cm); W. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); D. 2 3/8 in. (6 cm)

Classification:: Sculpture

Credit Line:: Purchase, Bobbie Falk Gift, in honor of Robert Falk, 2013

Accession Number:: 2013.249

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 237

This object is from a rare group of early Brahmanical masks. The small fangs seen rising from the corners of the open mouth and the exposed upper teeth identify this deity as Bhairava, a wrathful form of Shiva. Such masks were employed as temporary fixtures during worship and used to enliven processional icons in the Brahmanical cultures of northwestern India and the territories of Gandhara in Pakistan.

Provenace: Ex-Peter Cochrane Coll., London (1913-2004), acq. London prior to 1970, On offer from John Siudmak, London,

Timelines
South Asia: South, 500–1000 A.D.

Department

Asian Art (35,517)

Object Type / Material

Brass (4,809)

Copper (9,963)

Copper alloy (19,004)