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Bhairava

16th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 252
A fearsome form of the Hindu deity Shiva, the wide-eyed and fanged Bhairava embodies rage. Flames emit from his mouth, eyes, eyebrows, and chin, and his red hair appears as an aureole of fire. He wears a diadem entwined with snakes and skulls and set with large rock crystals, pendant ear ornaments of coiled snakes. A small hole that pierces the inner mouth was used during the annual Indrayatra festival to funnel beer through a drinking tube to bless eagerly awaiting devotees. The representation of Bhairava as an independent, masklike head is unique to the Newari metal artists of Nepal, who were famous throughout the Himalayan world for their skills in working copper. This mask’s similarity to an inscribed example dated 1560 suggests it was made in the mid-sixteenth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bhairava
  • Period: Malla period
  • Date: 16th century
  • Culture: Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
  • Medium: Gilded copper, rock crystal, paint
  • Dimensions: H. 32 in. (81.3 cm); W. 36 in. (91.4 cm); D. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Zimmerman Family Collection, Gift of the Zimmerman Family, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.444.2
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

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Fragment from the Backplate of an Icon, Gilt copper alloy, Nepal (Kathmandu Valley)
Fragment from the Backplate of an Icon
Nepal (Kathmandu Valley)
16th century
Goddess of Dance (Nrtyadevi), Wood with pigment, Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
Goddess of Dance (Nrtyadevi)
Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
16th century
Standing Buddha, Gilt bronze, Thailand
Standing Buddha
Thailand
15th century
Seated Buddha, Bronze, Thailand
Seated Buddha
Thailand
15th century
Seated Buddha, Bronze, Thailand
Seated Buddha
Thailand
late 15th–16th century

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