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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=EC3B46C08A1E99839BC15CA279A7364D5EFF7353DC90E676B6CCA22347A97630&s=24247294&se=1441651951&v=3&f=%5Cd8804%5Cu325388048%5C1962.45det01_o2.jpg

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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=EC3B46C08A1E998375D138CC03404162D9FDD215DA5383314E5CD11083C6B4FF&s=24247294&se=1441651951&v=3&f=%5Cd8830%5Cu325388300%5C1962.45det03_o2.jpg

https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=EC3B46C08A1E99837C55B43A54D63D14645B931207B65D31EF0F6430C15BD418&s=24247294&se=1441651951&v=3&f=%5Cd8842%5Cu325388426%5C1962.45det04_o2.jpg

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https://piction.clevelandart.org/cma/ump.di?e=EC3B46C08A1E99837CB1A436A18B9F384422BFA77723C336D4776C9037F50B04&s=24247294&se=1441651951&v=3&f=%5Cd8880%5Cu325388804%5C1962.45det07_o2.jpg

Additional Views

May 26, 2023

Sep 16, 2019

May 26, 2023

Head of a Yaksha

c. 125 BCE

Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Shunga period

(185–78 BCE)

Mottled red sandstone

Overall: 48.2 x 40 x 35.6 cm (19 x 15 3/4 x 14 in.)

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1962.45

Location

not on view

Description

Colossal statues of yakshas, male divinities who personify the productive forces of nature, were especially popular in the northern Indian region around the ancient city of Mathura. They were installed in shrines in parks and gardens, often associated with extraordinary trees. The red sandstone is from a nearby quarry, called Sikri.

Provenance

?-1962

(William H. Wolff, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1962-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

The Art of India; Stone Sculpture. [New York, Tokyo]: The Asia Society, 1962. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 15

Lee, Sherman E. “Year in Review 1962.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 49, no. 9, 1962, pp. 199–227. Mentioned: no. 68, p. 224 www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 228 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 228 archive.org

Czuma, Stanislaw. “Mathura Sculpture in the Cleveland Museum Collection.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 64, no. 3, 1977, pp. 83–114. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 84-85 www.jstor.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 287 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1991. Reproduced: p. 11 archive.org

Morris, Rekha, "Sense and Sensitivity: Sherman Lee's Impact on the Collection of North Indian Sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art," Orientations, vol. 36, no.1, p. 88-93. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 88

Guy, John. Tree & Serpent: Early Buddhist Art in India. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned: pp. 48–49; Reproduced: p. 48, cat. 17

Exhibition history

The Art of India: Stone Sculpture. The Asia Society Museum, New York, NY (organizer) (September 25-November 15, 1962).

Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).

Tree and Serpent: The Evolution of Early Buddhist Art in India. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (July 17-November 13, 2023).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Head of a Yaksha|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1962.45|year=c. 125 BCE|access-date=05 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Head of a Yaksha

Head of a Yaksha

Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, Shunga period

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