Head of Bhairava at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Bhairava, a fearsome form of Shiva, embodies unbridled rage with his wide eyes and fangs. Flames erupt from his mouth, eyes, eyebrows, and chin, while his red hair blazes like an aureole of fire. A diadem adorned with snakes and skulls sits atop his head, set with large rock crystals that glint in the light. Coiled snakes form his pendant ear ornaments, giving him a menacing appearance. A small hole pierces his inner mouth to receive the drinking tube used during the Indrayatra festival, funneling beer to bless eager devotees who gather to pay homage. The representation of Bhairava as an independent, mask-like head is a unique specialty of the Newari metalworkers of Nepal, renowned throughout the Himalayan world for their exceptional copperworking skills. This mask bears a striking resemblance to an inscribed example dated 1560 and may have been crafted in the mid-sixteenth century.