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Shiva as Vanquisher of the Three Cities (Shiva Tripuravijaya)

ca. 1000–1020
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 240
This regal figure of Shiva as the supreme victor over the three cities of the demons is one of the greatest realizations of Shiva as the destroyer of evil. It is a masterpiece in the corpus of imperial-quality devotional bronze icons and was likely made during the peak of imperial Chola production under Rajarajachola I or his immediate successors. Infused with all the majesty of a conquering king, Shiva in this manifestation was much revered by Chola rulers, both as their spiritual protector and as a divine role model for their imperial ambitions.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Shiva as Vanquisher of the Three Cities (Shiva Tripuravijaya)
  • Period: Chola period
  • Date: ca. 1000–1020
  • Culture: South India (Tamil Nadu, Thanjavur district)
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: H. 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm); W. 10 3/4 in. (27.3 cm); D. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gifts, funds from various donors, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation and Harris Brisbane Dick Funds, Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton Jr. Gift, Oscar L. Tang Fund for Asian Art, Fletcher Fund, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund, Eliot and Wilson Nolen Gift, and Seymour Fund; Mrs. Stephen V. Harkness Fund, Bequests of Bernard M. Baruch and Mary Strong Shattuck, Gifts of George D. Pratt and Mrs. Lewis S. Wolff, from the Estate of Dorothea Wolff, and Rogers Fund, by exchange, 2018

  • Object Number: 2018.757
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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