Balarama
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Object Label
This figure can be identified as Balarama because of the hooked plow that he holds in his left hand (now damaged) and the multiple hooded cobra heads that appear above his left shoulder. The snake hoods recall the god’s role as a manifestation of the serpent Shesha. The placement of the snake hoods at one side is extremely unusual; typically they circle Balarama’s head like a halo.
Caption
Balarama, ca. 8th–9th century. Red sandstone, 17 1/2 x 10 3/4in. (44.5 x 27.3cm) Other: 17 1/2 x 10 3/4in. (44.5 x 27.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.158. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.158_acetate_bw.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Balarama
Date
ca. 8th–9th century
Geography
Possible place made: Central region, Rajasthan, India
Medium
Red sandstone
Classification
Dimensions
17 1/2 x 10 3/4in. (44.5 x 27.3cm) Other: 17 1/2 x 10 3/4in. (44.5 x 27.3cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
Accession Number
86.227.158
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
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