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Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)

300s-400s

The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States

The full carving of a flowering tree on the back of this figurine indicates that she is a figure of a nature divinity who personifies the life-giving qualities of the sap that envigorates the tree and causes it to flower. These figures are sometimes called <em>shalabhanjika</em>, "she who breaks the tree," probably because her fertile properties are so powerful that it causes the tree to fruit so heavily that the branches break.

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Details

  • Title: Shalabhanjika (Woman and Tree)
  • Date Created: 300s-400s
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 8 cm (3 1/8 in.)
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1974.74
  • Medium: gray steatite
  • Department: Indian and Southeast Asian Art
  • Culture: Northern India, Kashmir
  • Credit Line: James Parmelee Fund
  • Collection: Indian Art
  • Accession Number: 1974.74

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