Lot Essay
As the wrathful manifestation of Shiva, Bhairava is a popular deity in Nepal, and is easily identified here by the crescent moon in the figure's diadem. The loop and two brackets at his back, as well as the angle of the feet, indicate that this figure would have leant forward and would probably have been viewed from below. For a comparable example with a similar aesthetic device, see P. Pal, The Arts of Nepal, vol. I, 1974, cat. no. 152.