Portrait of a king or queen in the guise of a deity

Dateearly 14th century

Place Made DisplayIndonesia

MediumAndesite

Dimensions13 x 8 inches (33 x 20.3 cm)

CultureIndonesia

PeriodMajapahit period

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineAcquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund

Terms

Javanese
Sculpture
Stone
Hinduism
Religion
Shiva
Siva
Javanese

Object number97.071

Label CopyAfter the death of a Majapahit king or queen, a commemorative temple or shrine was built and furnished with royal memorial portraits. Rather than portray the physical likeness of the ruler, such portraits would depict the king or queen in the guise of a deity, to reflect that after death they had become one with the god. Among the various Hindu deities represented were Shiva, his consort Parvati, or sometimes a joint portrait of king and queen together as Ardhanari, the half-male/half-female composite of Shiva and Parvati. At shrines that combined Hindu and Buddhist deities, a princess or queen might be shown in the form of the Buddhist goddess of transcendent wisdom, Prajnaparamita. The serene expression and exquisite crown and jewelry of this head are features common to many royal and divine figures. The statue's body would have confirmed gender and, together with the gestures and attributes of arms and hands, would have enabled identification of the particular deity.

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