Detail of the Dancing Celestial in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2019

Celestial dancer (Devata)
mid-11th century


Object Details

Period: Chandela period

Date: mid-11th century

Culture: Central India, Madhya Pradesh

Medium: Sandstone

Dimensions: H. 34 3/4 in. (88.3 cm); W. 20 in.(50.8 cm); D. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm); Wt. (with block) 170 lb (77.1 kg)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015

Accession Number: 2015.500.4.14


The Hindu temple is conceived as a heavenly abode for the presiding deity. The building's stepped, indented, and towering exterior evokes the mountains of Indra's heavens, home to the assembly of gods as well as celestial beauties, dancers, and musicians. This life-size sandstone sculpture is an extraordinary rending of a heavenly celebrant performing in honor of the gods. The dancer's face and body are treated according to prescribed canons of beauty. Her body is contorted in an improbably pose, her legs projecting to her right while her upper torso and head turn sharply left. The extreme flexion reflects dance positions (karunas and sthanas) described in the Natyasastra, an ancient dramatic arts treatise. It is understood in Indian aesthetics that such positions enhance the appreciation of beauty.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38153