Shiva, Parvati, and Their Son Skanda (Somaskandamurti)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The bronze sculpture depicts three figures: two adults sitting and one child standing. The adult on the left sits cross-legged on a rectangular base with a high backrest on either side, wearing a tall crown, earrings, necklaces, a short top, a belt, and leg adornments, with the right leg slightly raised. The figure has four arms, with the top right arm holding a curved object and the top left arm raised with the index finger pointing up, the bottom left arm bent at the elbow with the hand near the knee, and the bottom right arm bent at the elbow with the hand near the hip. The adult on the right sits with the left leg crossed over the right, wearing a tall crown, earrings, necklaces, a short top, a skirt, and leg adornments, with the left arm bent at the elbow and the right arm raised. A small child stands in the center, wearing a crown, with the left arm bent at the elbow and the right arm raised. The rectangular base has two horizontal lines running along the front and curved handles on the sides. The background gradient transitions from dark brown at the top to light brown at the bottom.