Pediment with the Face of Glory (Kirti-mukha) (c. 1000s): Art, History and Details

Pediment with the Face of Glory (Kirti-mukha) (c. 1000s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

Throughout India, sculptures of horned mythic beasts spewing stylized foliage were built into temples, above the entryways, in line with the sanctum. Known as the “face (mukha) of glory (kirti),” the protective mask emanates divine energy from the heart of the temple. The scrolling vegetation flowing from the mouth visually references the unending bounty and success that derives from worship and devotions.

Object facts

• Title: Pediment with the Face of Glory (Kirti-mukha)
• Date: c. 1000s
• Culture: Northern India
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: sandstone
• Dimensions: Overall: 50.8 x 94 cm (20 x 37 in.)
• Collection: Indian Art
• Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
• Accession number: 1988.102

A detail from the museum

Irises and pupils have been lightly incised into the bulging eyes.

Collection credit

The Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• “The Year in Review for 1988.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 76, no. 2, 1989, pp. 30–75.

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.