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A Makara

CultureIndian
Date5th century C.E.
MediumTerracotta
DimensionsOverall: 9 1/4 × 15 inches (23.5 × 38.1 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: acquired through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Earl D. Wilberg
Object numberF83-38
On View
On view
Exhibition History

Interiors of the East, Michael Goldhuis Ltd Colnaghi Oriental, London, June 8-July 8, 1983, hors cat.

A Bountiful Decade: Selected Acquisitions, 1977–1987, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, October 14–December 6, 1987, no.34.

Gallery Label
This mythical composite animal, a symbol of water and fertility, has an elephant’s head and trunk, a fish’s body with the tail ending in exuberant curls, and two feet with feline claws.
Provenance

Feruccio Abati, Turin, Italy, by 1983;

With Michael Goedhuis Ltd Colnaghi Oriental, London, by 1983;

Purchased from Michael Goedhuis Ltd Colnaghi Oriental by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1983.

Published References

Donald Hoffman, “Gallery Sculpts a New Vision,” in The Kansas City Star (Sunday, July 1, 1984): 7F, (repro.).

Art of Asia Acquired by North American Museums, 1984,” in Archives of Asian Art, 38 (1985): 132-133, fig.22, (repro.).

Roger Ward, ed., A Bountiful Decade: Selected Acquisitions, 1977-1987, exh. cat. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1987), 86-87, (repro.).

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 379, (repro.).

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 261, (repro.)

Robert Cohon, et al. Ceramics:  Highlights from the Collection of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2016), 36-37, (repro.).



Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.


2nd-1st century B.C.E.
35-254/3
3rd-2nd century B.C.E.
F92-15/1
Male head with hat
Shunga dynasty (199-1 B.C.E.)
F92-15/4
Shunga dynasty (199-1 B.C.E.)
F92-15/3
3rd century B.C.E.
35-254/1
2nd century B.C.E.
35-254/2
Male Head
Kushana dynasty (50-300 C.E.)
F92-15/6
Head of a Woman
Kushana dynasty (50-300 C.E.)
F92-15/5
Head
Gupta period (300-599 C.E.)
F92-15/7