Dancing Celestial Deity Devata
The Dancing celestial deity is a sandstone sculpture dating back to the 11th century. The extraordinary piece of art represents a spiritual performer dancing in honor of the gods. The sculpture’s original location is at Madhya Pradesh, central India, and reproduced at the Metropolitan Museum of art New York. The sculpture’s posture expresses exemplary dance positions known as karunas and sthanas. The sculpture uses jewelry to emphasize its motion. The artwork has tassels around its waist for purposes of amplifying rhythm and dance movements. Sculptures are representations of semi-divine attendant appeasing deities in the temple.
Description of the Sculpture
Over the centuries, sculptors have different preferences in the choice of materials they employ for their artwork. Materials suitable for sculptural works should be malleable with the capability to easily assume three-dimensional shapes. Most suitable materials have good aesthetic composition and readily available. Some readily available material for making sculptures includes stone, wood, and clay (Khatoon & Rais, 2015). However, metal, ivory, and plaster are also useful. Stone has been historically helpful in curving monumental sculptures. The majority of sculptors prefer rock due to its weather resistance capabilities. Stones are also readily available and found in most regions of the world and obtainable in large quantities at relatively low cost. The original carving of the Dancing Celestial Deity Devata is made from sandstone, whereas it’s reproduced form at the Metropolitan Museum of art New York is made of polymer. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The sculpture comes from the mid-11th century in a time known as the Chandela period. The Chandela era represents a period in which the Chandela dynasty was in control of the Bundelkhand region and section of central India between the 9th and 13th centuries (www.khajuraho-india.org/chandela-dynasty.html). The sculpture was placed outside the temple to serve as a presiding symbol. The stature represents numerous celestial carvings, which are a common feature in Hindu temples. The temple is the most sacred building and perceived as the heavenly abode for a powerful deity. The sculpture overlooks the temple and symbolizes safety for other gods and celestial beauties. The sculpture acts as a symbol of elegance to the temple and provides honor to a place of worship. Another notable importance of such a statue is allowing religion to appeal to the audience.
Subject Matter
Historically sculptures have been used to represent beings of higher authority like gods. Kings and leaders tended to immortalize themselves through carvings and sculptures. The statue represented temple attendants dancing in reverence for the temples, the main deity. Some temples used real women, worshippers, to dance and please the god. In the absence of human worshippers, sculptures are useful symbols that act as best alternatives. Religious symbols are unique since they serve as a way of uniting members of a particular religion who practice a common faith. The symbols are an elaborate indication of the religious traditions they represent (Lesile, 2017). Symbolic expressions serve as an essential aspect of presenting sacred facts and beliefs. Notably, sculptures immensely contribute to enhancing the relationship between worshippers and the spiritual dimension.
The sculptor of this particular piece of art is not known. However, the creator of this exemplary art uses several techniques of communication. The sculptor employs unique and attractive jewelry and costume to represent surface ornaments. The costume and jewelry also act as a contracting aspect to the smooth displayed flesh. The sculptor was keen on creating active contours through the posture to create an eye-catching effect to the audience. The sculptor employs the use of symmetry by keenly arranging numerous volumes along an axis to give an impression of motion. The dancing celestial deity has several massive sizes, which include its head, left leg, buttocks, and breasts. Due to the underlying weight, the sculptor carefully balances the volumes in a balanced way.
Time and Place of Origin
Throughout history, human beings have used sculptures for numerous reasons. Sculptures can be used for spiritual purposes or serve the purpose of remembering the past. One notable sculpture serving a religious mission is the dancing celestial deity Devata. The piece of work dates back to the 11th century with its origins in Madhya Pradesh in central India (Ancient Sculpture Gallery). The part of art found at the Metropolitan Museum of art New York is an original work curved from sandstone. The piece of work was carefully curved, and the sculptor seemingly took lots of time to create a unique sculpture. The artwork came into existence when other celestial sculptures were already in reality. Historically, central India was characterized by its famous sculptured temples. Since the technique dates back to the 9th century, it is factual that dancing celestial deity Devata was curved when similar artifacts were in existence.
The sculpture was made in central India during the era of the Chandela dynasty. Central India is famous for temples with artistic sculptured walls. Since the discovery of eroticism as a component of sculptural work, the outer walls of temples were decorated with celestial sculptures. The sculpture was made as a representation of a dancer celebrating and dancing in honor of the temple god. Temples were famous places symbolizing the dwelling place for divine beings. It is deeply believed that human beings and gods converge together within the temple in the act of worship. The dancing celestial deity Devata was made to please the temple god and is a typical representation of the art within its original area. Since the sculpture originates from central India, it is typical of other celestial sculptors from that region.
Location and Artists Intention
The dancing celestial deity Devata is currently in the United States of America at the metropolitan museum of art in New York City. India is the sculpture’s country of origin. The original work was sold to Florence and Herbert Irving before shipment was made to the United States (Hearn, 2015). The dancing celestial deity resides at the museum’s curatorial department. The statue was located on higher ground, implying that viewers looked up to get its glimpse. The sculptor employed three-dimensional techniques to enable viewers to get a view from all angles. It is essential to strive and meet the creator’s intentions in all forms of artwork. The initial purpose of the sculptor was to create an impression of a dancer in motion. The dancer was dancing to please the supreme deity in the temple.
The careful carvings demonstrate the unique abilities of the sculptor’s intention for portraying and passing the message across. The sculpture is on loan and display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The statue was moved in two parts, lower torso and burst according to reliable information from the met museum. The two separate pieces were joined together to make a complete sculpture. The sculpture portrays the artist’s original intention since viewers still look up at the statue. The sculpture is visible from all sides; thus, viewers can approach from multiple angles due to its three-dimensional characteristics. Three-dimensional sculptures are unique and distinguishable from two-dimensional paintings because they offer viewers a realistic sense. One notable advantage of a three-dimensional sculpture is the ease of access since individuals can approach from any angle and get a feeling of the sculptor’s intent.
Techniques and Medium
Sculptors use numerous materials to execute their work. Notable and favorable materials include wood, stone, metal, and in recent times polymers. The other easily obtainable and accessible material used by sculptors is clay. All the materials used in sculptural works have unique properties that influence a sculptor’s preference. A sculptor may decide to settle on a particular medium, depending on how durable and easily malleable the material is (Gonzalez, 2019). Some elements have better adaptation capabilities in comparison to others. For example, the stone is more durable and can resist harsh weather conditions compared to wood. Sculptors made of stone can be placed outside a building and are suitable for making historical monuments. Wooden carvings are easy to make but have little resistance to extreme weather conditions like rain. Therefore sculptures from wood are ideal for indoor artifacts.
The dancing celestial deity Devata was made from sandstone. The sculptor used the carving technique to achieve his or her objective. According to available information, the sculpture dimensions are H. 34 3/4 inches. (88.3 cm); W. 20 inc. (50.8 cm); D. 12 1/2 he in. (31.8 cm); Wt. (with block) The sculpture weighs 170 lbs or approximately 77.1 kilograms (Met Museum). The sculptor carefully employed symmetrical capabilities to cater to the weight. Sandstone has excellent properties that make it resistant to earth weathering processes. The artist settled for sandstone because of its availability in Central India, which is the origin of the dancing celestial deity Devata