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Feb 4, 2005

Amorous Couple (Mithuna)

400s

Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Ahichchatra, Gupta period

(c. 320-550)

Terracotta

Overall: 38.5 x 37 cm (15 3/16 x 14 9/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.133

Location

242A Ancient India

Did you know?

The site of Ahichchatra retains ruins of a pyramid-shaped brick temple dedicated to Shiva.

Description

Amorous couples were among the most prevalent imagery on the exterior of sacred sites in early India. Their life-affirming imagery was considered auspicious. This roundel would have been part of a brick structure, since terracotta was typically used in the ornamentation of brick temples, instead of stone.

Provenance

?–1971

(J.J. Klejman [1906–1995], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1971–

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1971.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 59, no. 1 (January 1972): 3–46. Mentioned: p. 45, no. 137; Reproduced: p. 24, no. 137 www.jstor.org

Pal, Pratapaditya. The Ideal Image: The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence. New York: Asia Society in association with J. Weatherhill, 1978. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 30, p. 82

Neils, Jenifer. The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: The Museum in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1982. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 162, no. 166

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1971. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 28, 1971-February 6, 1972).

The Ideal Image: The Gupta Sculptural Tradition and Its Influence. Asia House Galleries, New York City, NY (organizer) (October 5-December 3, 1978); Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX (January 1-February 25, 1979); The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL (March 24-May 6, 1979).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Amorous Couple (Mithuna)|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.133|year=400s|access-date=23 September 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Amorous Couple (Mithuna)

Amorous Couple (Mithuna)

Northern India, Uttar Pradesh, Ahichchatra, Gupta period

Location

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Description

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