This stunning piece is quite old and has been in the possession of one of our artist’s family for some time. It was part of their private collection. Shiva is seated with his loyal and loving wife, Parvati. The small bull is Nandi, Shiva’s vehicle and gatekeeper. As depicted in this piece, when the husband and wife are together in sculpture Shiva is generally larger. The motif on the base resembles their mountain home of Kailasa.
Shiva’s lower right hand is in the vitarka mudra. His upper right hand holds a string of malas (prayer beads). His upper left hand holds an axe while his lower left hand is caressing Parvati’s breast. He wears an elaborate head dress with a crescent moon and has a cobra sitting on his right shoulder. Shiva’s third eye is a symbol of higher consciousness.
Shiva the Destroyer, the Creator and Auspicious One, is one of the main deities of Hinduism, worshipped as the paramount lord by the Saivite sects of India. Shiva is one of the most complex Hindu gods, embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. He is the destroyer and the restorer, the great ascetic and the symbol of sensuality, the benevolent herdsman of souls and the wrathful avenger. He often holds a trident, which represents the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. It is also said to represent the threefold qualities of nature: creation, preservation and destruction, although preservation is usually attributed to Vishnu.
The crescent moon that Shiva wears on his crown, besides being a symbol of Kama the goddess of nightly love, is also representative of Nandi embodying sexual energy and fertility.