A rare carved wood bust of Shiva Nepal, Mala period (ca. 1201-1779), 16th-17th century | 尼泊爾 馬拉王朝時期 十六至十七世紀 木雕濕婆半身像

Detailed with a third eye and moustache this Mala period head could be a manifestation of Dattatreya, an incarnation of Shiva. While Dattatreya is usually depicted with three heads (Trimurti gods) in the Indian iconographic tradition, he usually only has one head in the Himalayan region and Nepal. The bust would have originally been crowned and adorned with jewelry then displayed in a temple on special occasions.