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Dark green bronze statue of the dancing god Shiva in a ring of flames, standing on one leg on a lotus base.

Shiva as Lord of Dance (Nataraja), Chola bronze

A dark green copper-alloy figure of the four-armed god Shiva dances on a lotus base within a flaming arch. His hair flies outward in long locks, and his raised leg and outstretched hands form a balanced, graceful pose. The patinated surface shows wear and verdigris.

Artist
Unknown
Date
ca. late 11th century
Medium
Copper alloy
Source
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Size
2792 × 3722 px
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Public domain · The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1100).
Rights checked 2026-11-04 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of R. H. Ellsworth Ltd., in honor of Susan Dillon, 1987

Gods and Epics of Indiacopper alloyreligious sculptureshivahindu sculpturebronze statuesouth indian arttamil nadumedieval india

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