id:			94680
accession number:	1915.337
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1915.337
updated:		2022-01-07 22:37:26.852000

Forehead Pendant with Sun God Surya in a Chariot with Attendants, 1600s or 1700s. Nepal, Kathmandu Valley. Gold set with jewels and semi-precious stones; overall: 8 x 4.6 cm (3 1/8 x 1 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1915.337

title:				Forehead Pendant with Sun God Surya in a Chariot with Attendants
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1600s or 1700s
creation date earliest:		1600
creation date latest:		1800
current location:		237 Himalayan
creditline:			Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
copyright:			

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culture:	Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
technique:	gold set with jewels and semi-precious stones
department:	Indian and Southeast Asian Art
collection:	Nepalese Art
type:		Jewelry
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 8 x 4.6 cm (3 1/8 x 1 13/16 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Inaugural Exhibition
	opening date:   1916-06-06T05:00:00
	<i>Inaugural Exhibition</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).

	title:		Materials of the Artist
	opening date:   1958-03-04T05:00:00
	<i>Materials of the Artist</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 4-December 12, 1958).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

	Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857-1926] and Mrs. Ellen Garretson Wade [1859-1917], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
	date: ?-1915
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


	The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
	date: 1915-
	footnotes: 	
	citations: 	


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fun fact: 
The golden figure below the Sun God is the Dawn, driving the five-horse chariot across the sky.

digital description: 
This pendant was made to hang on a sculpture of a deity under worship in a Nepalese temple. The image of the Sun God, venerated by both Buddhists and Hindus, is carved in translucent golden stones set into a framework of gold wire.He holds two lotuses with emeralds in the center.

wall description: 
The main pendant that would hang on the center of the forehead of a sacred image depicts the Sun God in translucent golden stones. As is standard for his iconography, he holds lotus flowers in his hands held up at his chest level. His charioteer Aruna, the Dawn, drives the stylized five horses before him. Surya’s two wives Usha and Pratyusha in red spinel lunge in both directions holding bow and arrow. The smaller medallion at the top is in the form of a golden peacock on a crescent moon. In Nepalese jewelry, solar imagery is balanced by the lunar. The peacock is a favorite symbol for auspiciousness and protection.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.337/1915.337_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.337/1915.337_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1915.337/1915.337_full.tif