Bhairava
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Bhairava is a 1800 paint by Unknown, a Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This figure stands with four arms, holding a staff in one hand and a bowl in another. Its face is dark with a crescent moon on the forehead, and small faces peek out from its chest. The body is painted in flat colors—black, white, and red—with no shading. The extra arms and faces suggest this isn’t a normal person. The style looks old, with some paint chipped away over time. Next, check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.
The painting depicts Bhairava, a manifestation of Shiva, rendered in opaque watercolour on paper around 1800. He stands holding a bowl while brandishing a large white sword, his forehead marked by a third eye. Bhairava is adorned with bracelets and a necklace made of human heads, and a skirt of five white human arms hangs from his waist.
Read the full account in the museum source.
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