India, Tamil Nadu
Shiva Nataraja
Chola dynasty, 10th­11th century
Bronze
ht.: 69.4 cm
Kate S. Buckingham Collection, 1965.1130

Shiva is a god of the Hindu religion. This sculpture shows Shiva performing the dance of creation and destruction of the universe. His four arms indicate the god’s multiple powers, his swirling locks of hair flow like the waters of the holy Ganges River in India, and the fiery ring expresses the vital force of the universe which both destroys and rebuilds the earth.

This hollow bronze sculpture was once worshipped in a temple and carried through the streets in processions on festival days.