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Hari Hara

ca. 1870s–80s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 251
The deity Hari-Hara, a composite of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara), proved to be immensely popular in nineteenth-century Bengal. Vertically divided, each god asserts his identity through skin color, dress, adornments, and attributes. The white-skinned form of Shiva, with his moustache and forehead mark, holds a double-sided damaru drum and trident (trisula) in his hands. A snake adorns his topknot, and a tiger skin serves as his waistcloth. Vishnu is shown with a dark blue complexion, a discus (chakra) and club in his hands. He sports a yellow waistcloth, which is a characteristic of his avatar Krishna, as is the peacock feather than adorns his headdress. Resplendent on a golden throne, both gods wear lavish jewels painted in colloidal tin to resemble silver.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Hari Hara
  • Artist: Unidentified artist
  • Date: ca. 1870s–80s
  • Culture: West Bengal, Kolkata, Kalighat district
  • Medium: Watercolor, colloidal tin, ink and graphite on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 17 15/16 in. × 11 in. (45.6 × 28 cm)
    Sheet: 19 3/8 × 12 5/8 in. (49.2 × 32 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Robert West, by exchange, 2022
  • Object Number: 2021.422
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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