About this artwork
Originally a child-devouring demoness, Hariti ultimately became a benevolent protector of children after the Buddha kidnapped one of her own to demonstrate the distress she had been inflicting upon other parents. Hariti, who herself had hundreds of children, is here shown with one child in her lap tugging on her necklace, another tapping her left shoulder, and a third clinging to her skirt by her left knee. As a Buddhist goddess, she was propitiated by female devotees for fertility and healthy childbirth. Hariti was also venerated as a protector of the monastic community at large, and shrines housing her image were typically located near a monastery’s entrance or refectory. She was especially popular in the Gandharan region, where Greco-Roman stylistic conventions were salient in the fabrication of sculptures.
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Status
- On View, Gallery 140
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Department
- Arts of Asia
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Title
- Goddess Hariti Seated Holding a Child
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Place
- Gandhara (Object made in)
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Date
- 101 CE–300 CE
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Medium
- Gray schist
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Dimensions
- 61 × 43.2 × 16.5 cm (24 × 17 × 6 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Gift of Marilynn B. Alsdorf
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Reference Number
- 2016.58
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/153535/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
