India, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho style, 11th century / Lovers (mithuna) / 11th centuryIndia, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho style, 11th century
Lovers (mithuna)
11th century

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Creator Nationality: Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
Creator Dates/Places: India
Creator Active Place: India
Creator Name-CRT: India, Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho style, 11th century
Title: Lovers (mithuna)
Title Type: Primary
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1000
Creation End Date: 1099
Creation Date: 11th century
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials and Techniques: Red sandstone
Dimensions: Overall: 74cm
AMICA Contributor: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number: 1982.64
Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Rights: http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html
Style or Period: Khajuraho style
Context: The function of many Hindu sculptures of the medieval, or Hindu dynasties, period (from the sixth century onward) was to decorate the exterior walls of temples. A great profusion and variety of sculptures gave those monuments an exuberance unequaled during any other period. The Hindu temple was a favorite community meeting place and these sculptures inspired and instructed the populace and were admired by thousands of viewers. The monuments well known for this profusion of sculptural decoration are the temples of Khajuraho, which represent the "erotic genre" of sculpture, very popular in medieval India. The amorous couple is a very ancient and popular theme in Indian art. During the period of the Hindu dynasties, however, this subject takes on an especially erotic connotation to which various factors contributed. Some see it as the symbolic union of the soul and the divine stimulated to a degree by Tantric rituals and practices, others speculate that it was the result, or product, of a contemporary society. Practices such as temple prostitution and the popularity of the love-manual, Kamaes?tra, must have greatly contributed to the interest in this subject matter. The temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, built under the auspices of the Candella dynasty (tenth to eleventh centuries), and the Sun Temple in Konarak, a product of the Ganga dynasty built in the fourteenth century, are the best known monuments of erotic sculpture. The present sculpture represents a typical Khajuraho style. The couple is shown in an embrace, kissing, while the male, whose masculinity is emphasized by a beard and mustache, is about to disrobe his partner. The female's clothing consists only of a transparent muslin skirt, hardly covering her thighs. Her passion is emphasized by the rapid twist of her body and the upward turn of her head. This rapid movement and the almost angular position of the limbs, which emphasizes the movement, are characteristic of the Khajuraho sculpture. The two figures are totally engrossed in each other--connoting gentle eroticism. S.C.
AMICA ID: CMA_.1982.64
AMICA Library Year: 1998
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright, The Cleveland Museum of Art

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