Object number1987.56.9
Skanda, or Kartikeya, the God of War
Datec. 1830
Artist
Chinese
(Chinese, NA)
CultureChinese
MediumOil on glass
DimensionsFramed: 16 3/8 x 22 3/8 in. (41.59 x 56.83 cm)
Unframed: 14 x 22 5/16 in. (35.56 x 56.73 cm)
Unframed: 14 x 22 5/16 in. (35.56 x 56.73 cm)
Credit LinePurchase, Lydia Evans Tunnard, class of 1936, Fund
On View
Not on viewPeriod19th c
Classification(s)
InscribedInscribed (verso): Yu (Jade) 16
Exhibition HistoryArt of India: Convergance of Cultures from the Romans to the Raj, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY, January 2 - March 18, 1997Label TextThe Hindu deity Skanda is known by various names, including Kumara, Kartikeya, and Murugan. His origins are accounted for in numerous ways, drawn from local deities and developed through the first millennium CE, when Skanda appears in massive epics as the general of the army of the gods. Ultimately recognized as the son of Shiva and wife of Parvati, Skanda is associated with warfare, reflected in the many weapons he wields. Considered remorseless and unpredictable in his battles against demons, he is an equally fierce protector of those who propitiate him. The peacock beneath him, a gift from the god Vishnu, is an embodiment of beauty and represents the power to overcome poisons.
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