DR. PAL:
This imposing sculpture represents Balarama, the older foster brother of the Hindu god Krishna. Balarama is an agricultural deity associated with irrigation and cultivation. He is so fond of drinking that the goblet he holds to his chest identifies him. His raises his other hand high in a gesture of reassurance.
Balarama is closely associated with serpents, and some worship him as an emanation of Ananta, the great serpent that forms a couch for Vishnu as he slumbers in the cosmic ocean. Here, a large serpent rises up behind Balarama, protecting him with a canopy of seven heads. You can see the remains of three of the heads just above Balarama’s raised hand.
In the second century CE, when this powerful sculpture was carved, a serpent-related cult of Balarama was very popular, particularly around the ancient city of Mathura, in central Northern India. Serpents are traditionally associated with water and fertility. They are also thought to guard the earth’s treasures of precious gems and minerals.
Balarama
150-200
Asia: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura
On View
Krishna’s older brother, Balarama, is the embodiment of princely virtues. Balarama stands in a graceful contrapposto posture with his weight resting on his left foot. He holds a goblet to his chest, as he is fond of drinking, and he is depicted with a seven-headed serpent hood. He is closely associated with the serpent Ananta, on whom Vishnu sleeps.
Details
- Title: Balarama
- Date: 150-200
- Medium: Sandstone
- Dimensions: 63 x 29 x 10 in. (160.02 x 73.66 x 25.4 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1975.15.1.S
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Marg, fig. 8 pp. 60-61
- Pal, Pratapaditya, American Collectors of Asian Art, 1986, fig. 8 pp.124-125
- Dye III, Joseph M., Asian Art: Selections from the Norton Simon Museum, 1988, fig. 2 pp. 22-23
- Mathura: The Cultural Heritage, 1989, p. 389
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 1: Art from the Indian Subcontinent, 2003, fig. 15, no. 46 pp. 21, 82-83
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1187 p. 380
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