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Source Description
Crowned by a five-headed cobra whose coiled body weaves itself into a throne, this bejeweled figure is a "nagaraja," or divine serpent-king. As inhabitants of watery places and guardians of the earth’s hidden treasures, serpent deities are associated with fecundity and wealth. This nagaraja holds a gem in one hand and a plate of offerings in the other. Once inlaid with semiprecious stones, the sculpture may have functioned in a Hindu or Buddhist context, for nagas are sacred across religious traditions.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
23645
label
Serpent Deity (Nagaraja)
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
7
Source metadata
id
23645
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Serpent Deity (Nagaraja)
description
Crowned by a five-headed cobra whose coiled body weaves itself into a throne, this bejeweled figure is a "nagaraja," or divine serpent-king. As inhabitants of watery places and guardians of the earth’s hidden treasures, serpent deities are associated with fecundity and wealth. This nagaraja holds a gem in one hand and a plate of offerings in the other. Once inlaid with semiprecious stones, the sculpture may have functioned in a Hindu or Buddhist context, for nagas are sacred across religious traditions.
provenance
Oriental Antiquities, London [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; John and Berthe Ford, Baltimore, November 19, 1969, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2021, by gift.
date
11th century
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
sculpture (visual works)
imageCount
7
pageCount
7
source
import
dimensionsRaw
H: 5 1/4 in. (13.34 cm); Height with base: 7 × W: 4 × D: 2 in. (17.78 × 10.16 × 5.08 cm)
Source extras
med
copper alloy
creator_ids
15526
collection_ids
INT
exhibition_ids
2071
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
8bebab6388e922f0
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
d4fff5c69efc1b6f
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
3
type
photo
mediaId
8916cc1c80569ca6
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
4
type
photo
mediaId
8d24912ffb830507
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
fe06e415f67fcc32
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
378fbfed815b0a89
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
25e976946f208683
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no