The Hindu deity Shiva in the fierce form of Bhairava

The two great gods Shiva and Brahma had a bitter dispute, and Shiva cut off one of Brahma’s five heads. In penance for this frightful sin, Shiva had to wander the world as a naked beggar with the head of Brahma stuck to his hand “to destroy evil and benefit creation.”

Texts describing Shiva in this form emphasize both his horrifying qualities and his elegance and seductiveness. Here he is shown with traditional characteristics of ferocious beings: flame-like hair standing on end, bulging eyes, and fangs, along with a cobra and garland of skulls twining around his body. He is accompanied by a dog, a creature with fearsome associations in India because it scavenges in cremation grounds.

Yet what should be a repulsive image is, instead, shapely and sensual. The deep carving accentuates a gracefully swaying posture, and Bhairava’s face, despite its fangs, appears rather gentle. The artist has lavished careful attention on beautifying the sculpture’s various parts, so that the whole is an eloquent testimony to the unsettling attractiveness of the dreadful and horrific.

Conservation Note: The sculpture has been covered, presumably in the twentieth century, with a black oily substance that may be shoe polish. The reddish soil in the recesses would seem to suggest that the sculpture was once buried, but in fact it was added after the black coating, perhaps to make the piece appear older and thus more attractive to potential buyers. The coating and soil are not harmful to the sculpture, and so have not been removed.