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Source Description
This ivory disk was possibly part of a massive earring around which lobes were stretched so that they rest on the shoulders. Eight figures that are half woman and half fish hold hands in a ring around a series of concentric circles containing floral imagery. Their hands and tails make the repeated form of an auspicious trident-shaped symbol, often depicted with fish tails in combination with a lotus flower. The full-breasted forms, the tails, and the lotus flowers evoke the imagery of life-giving waters. A circle of eight female figures later comes to refer to the maidens of the eight directions of the sky (<em>ashtadikpalikas</em>).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
168569
label
Roundel with Mermaids and Lotus
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
168569
contentType
object
title
Roundel with Mermaids and Lotus
description
This ivory disk was possibly part of a massive earring around which lobes were stretched so that they rest on the shoulders. Eight figures that are half woman and half fish hold hands in a ring around a series of concentric circles containing floral imagery. Their hands and tails make the repeated form of an auspicious trident-shaped symbol, often depicted with fish tails in combination with a lotus flower. The full-breasted forms, the tails, and the lotus flowers evoke the imagery of life-giving waters. A circle of eight female figures later comes to refer to the maidens of the eight directions of the sky (<em>ashtadikpalikas</em>).
date
c. 100 BCE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80074634
genreSpecific
Ivory
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Diameter: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.); Overall: 2.5 cm (1 in.)
cul
India, Bengal, Chandraketugarh area, Shunga period (185–78 BCE)
accession
2010.295
Source extras
tec
ivory
tombstone
Roundel with Mermaids and Lotus, c. 100 BCE. India, Bengal, Chandraketugarh area, Shunga period (185–78 BCE). Ivory; diameter: 10.5 cm (4 1/8 in.); overall: 2.5 cm (1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of John Eskenazi in honor of Dr. Stanislaw J. Czuma, 2010.295
collection
Indian Art
creditline
Gift of John Eskenazi in honor of Dr. Stanislaw J. Czuma
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:40:14.947000
sourceId
168569
dept
Indian and Southeast Asian Art
coll
Indian Art
med
ivory
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
2fd0d288881015ae