Yaksha abducting a woman
Abduction in times of civil disorder was an ever-present threat to women in early India. This fear found expression in a genre of clay votives that depict a grotesque yaksha stealing a woman from her home and kin. The demon personifies the dangers of the natural world—remote hills, water holes, and rivers. Offerings of meat and alcohol appeased his violent and poisoned nature.
Artwork Details
- Title: Yaksha abducting a woman
- Period: Shunga
- Date: 1st century BCE
- Culture: India, Gangetic region, probably Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh
- Medium: Clay
- Dimensions: H. 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm); W. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); D. 3/8 in. (1 cm)
- Classification: Ceramics
- Credit Line: Lent by a private collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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