Lovers (Mithuna) (c. 973): Art, History and Details

Lovers (Mithuna) (c. 973) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Along with the adjacent architectural frieze with dancer and musicians, this tender scene was built into the exterior wall of the now ruined Purana Mahadeva Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Erotic imagery depicting couples interacting with each other in various postures were important components on the exterior of Hindu temples. They underscore the infinite beauty and abundance of the created world.

Object facts

• Title: Lovers (Mithuna)
• Date: c. 973
• Culture: Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Sikar, Harshagiri, Pratihara Dynasty, 10th Century
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: sandstonewith limestone wash
• Dimensions: Overall: 35.3 x 34.3 cm (13 7/8 x 13 1/2 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1962.165

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
• The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
• Lerner, Martin. “Some Unpublished Sculpture from Harshagiri.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 56, no. 10 (December 1969): 354–364.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.