{"product_id":"pala-blackstone-stele-fragment-featuring-shiva-and-parvati-copy","title":"Ellora Style Schist Fragment of a Deity","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin: \u003c\/strong\u003eEllora, Maharashtra, India\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCirca:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10th Century AD to 11th Century AD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions: \u003c\/strong\u003e8.5\" Height x 9\" Width (21.6 cm x 22.9 cm)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedium:\u003c\/strong\u003e Schist\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA crowned figure (likely Shiva or a royal figure in the guise of) emerges from the broken stone with the composure of a temple deity, carved in a sumptuous gray-black schist and preserved from the waist up. The tall conical headdress (Jata Makuta) rises in tiers of incised spirals above a serene face with high arched brows and downcast, almond eyes. Beaded and petal-form necklaces cover the chest; a sash crosses the torso, and the surviving hand cradles a lotus bloom. A second, smaller figure once flanked the shoulder, suggesting an attendant or subsidiary deity from a larger architectural group. Accordingly we can also see the remains of a hand and forearm cradled around the neck of the main figure indicating to us that he was once embraced by his divine consort.  The combination of the tall crown elaborately bound and coiled with incised locks of matted hair, the depiction of the divine embrace (alingana), and the fact that the figure(s) are composed with the languid posture and fluid curves typical of the divine couple are all strong signs that we are looking at was once a depiction of Uma Maheshvara (Shiva with his divine consort Parvati).  The unique scattered red pigment across the surface of the image is the residue of puja, marking long devotional use in a ritual context. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"monumentgalleryla","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67990641377532,"sku":"HQ.0139","price":8500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0609\/7990\/4764\/files\/HQ.0139a.jpg?v=1793589487","url":"https:\/\/monumentgalleryla.com\/products\/pala-blackstone-stele-fragment-featuring-shiva-and-parvati-copy","provider":"monumentgalleryla","version":"1.0","type":"link"}