 |
Seated Female Figure Bactria, 3000- 2000 B.C. Chlorite, limestone  This statuette may be a harvest goddess like the Elamite earth goddess Narundi. |
|
Stag Rhyton
Greece, 4th century B.C. Bronze In ancient times, the stag, embodying the majesty of a forest king and trees, was shown as having a regenerative life force through the mysterious and divine appearance of its horns. Stags also came to be associated with Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, who also possessed tree-spirit qualities. |
 |
|
| | |
 Emmaten Japan, Heian period, 12th century Color and gold on silk Emmaten (Skt., Yama), one of the Twelve Devas, as a single central deity was prayed to for longevity and good health. Enma-ten, whose origins can be traced to the Rig Veda, resembles the companion of the mother earth goddess. (Exhibited from April 29 to May 8) |
 |
|
|
Jizô Bosatsu
Japan, Kamakura period, 13th century Wood with color and polychrome The bodhisattva Jizô (Skt., Ksitigarbha) originated as an earth god in Vedic legends, long before Buddhism. This ancient god, representing the oldest goddess in the legends of the Aryans in India, was a manifestation of the earth. |
||