13 minute read
INDIA
86 - ASIAN ART SOCIETY
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sPEAR HEAd WiTH KiRTimUKHA HEAds
Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, Southern India Late 16th - Early 17th century Iron Height: 49,5 cm Price: 8.500 euros
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Alexis Renard T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02 E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com W: www.alexisrenard.com This spear head of sang type has a double edged straight blade, decorated at the base by deeply chiseled kirtimukha heads that seem to spit out the blade.
A related spearhead also decorated with kirtimukha faces, and said to have been made in Tanjore, is published in: REDDY R. (2018), Arms & Armour of India, Nepal & Sri Lanka: Types, decoration and symbolism, London: Hali Publications, p. 349.
FEBRUARY 2022 - 87
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gUPTA BUddHA HEAd
Northern India Gupta period Early 4th century Red sandstone Height: 16 cm Provenance: Private collection, Germany Price : 58.000 euros
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Christophe Hioco M.: +33 (0) 1 53 30 09 65 E.: info@galeriehioco.com W: www.galeriehioco.com Buddha Śākyamuni: an exceptional being Heir to the very first images of the Buddha, this delicate sculpture shows with great refinement the distinctive iconographic features of the Blessed One. The elongated earlobes indicate his renunciation of princely life. The cranial protuberance or usnīsa, clearly visible here, is the symbol of his wisdom and enlightened mind. The hairstyle that covers the cranial bump consists in small and thin articulately rendered snail-shell curls and is characteristic of the period. The poetic texts describe his half-shut eyes in the shape of lotus petals.
An aesthetics marked by humanity This head is a perfect example of an image that beautifully combines an accessible human figure with the sublime. The sweet humanity, so valued in Gupta sculpture, is evident in this finely carved face with sensuous lips and full cheeks. One must also admire the arched eyebrows and the very smooth carving of the recessed parts around the nose, mouth and chin which is quite exceptional. However, his downcast eyes indicate a remove from the mundane and reflect his state of meditation and perfect beatitude. The slightly downturned corners of the lips also imply concentration.
The delicacy of the carving, the high quality of the sculpture and the incredible charisma emanating from this Buddha head make it a magnificent example of the artworks produced at the beginning of the Gupta period. It comes from the private collection of a doctor from northern German-speaking Switzerland, who died in 1997 and who had owned the piece since the 1960s.
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sHivA And PARvATi
Murshidabad, India Circa 1780 Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper Image: 25,7 cm x 20,3 cm Folio: 28,2 cm x 22,9 cm Price on request
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
The present painting depicts Lord Shiva and Parvati seated under a tree atop Mount Kailash. An even line of trees and palms dot the horizon, dividing a clear blue sky and a vast expanse of green. Shiva, seated on a tiger pelt, is adorned with serpents which curl around his neck and arms. On his forehead is his third eye, topped by a crescent moon. From his piled hair flows the river of Ganges which splits the mountain in two. He is equipped with two damaru—a divine instrument which produces the sounds that create and regulate the universe—one in his proper left hand, and another hanging from his trident, along with pennants that billow in the breeze. Beside him is Parvati, seated upon a lotus flower. she holds her hands open in respect as she gazes upon her lover. Both she and Shiva have glowing nimbuses marking their divinity. Below the couple rests shiva's faithful vahana, Nandi, the sacred bull.
FEBRUARY 2022 - 95
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A RUlER on HoRsEBACK WiTH His RETinUE
Deccan, India Circa 1590-1610 Black line, gold and colors on paper Height: 13 cm Width: 8 cm Provenance: H.R.H Maria Pia de Bourbon Parme Galerie Kevorkian, Paris Price: 15.000 euros
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Alexis Renard T.: + 33 1 44 07 33 02 E.: alexis@alexisrenard.com W: www.alexisrenard.com Representations of Tara, a protective goddess whose key virtues are compassion and mercy, often combine spirituality and sensuality. They are recognisable by the flower held in her hand. This kind of sculpture is used as a focal point during meditation, and is generally placed in temples alongside its companion, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or Padmapani – literally, ‘he who holds a lotus' .
This beautiful bronze Tara is a product of the Kathmandu Valley, dating back to the 18th century. Sitting in the padmasana position, she is represented bestowing a benediction: her left hand is in surya mudra, while her right hand is held low and open towards the sky in vara mudra, offering a blessing. She is richly dressed and bejewelled, and her intricate headdress is decorated with floral motifs and large earrings. She is seated on a lotiform base and holds in her left palm the stem of a lotus that blooms into a flower by her shoulder, an iconography that is specific to representations of the White Tara.
Newar artists were renowned for their excellent mastery of bronze, and especially the lost wax technique. The artists from this region generally used a high volume of copper in their bronze alloy, resulting in the famous russet tone that is often visible on the backs of sculptures.
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illUsTRATion To A RAsiKAPRiYA sERiEs: KRisHnA sEATEd WiTH RAdHA ATTRiBUTEd To PURKHU
Kangra, India Circa 1820 Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper Image: 24,8 cm x 16,5 cm Folio: 33 cm x 23,2 cm Provenance: Royal Mandi collection Private English collection Price on request
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
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The iconic lovers gaze into each other's eyes, Krishna's hand barely grazing Radha's dress as she pinches her dupatta in her right hand. Two sakhis (companions) converse nearby. In the background, lush foliage emerges over the terrace walls. Among the branches sit two birds, resting under a vibrant pink and orange sky framed by undulating clouds. A line of black Braj Bhasa above reads “saatvik ki kriti udaharan” (an example of an involuntary expression of emotion), folio number ‘305' in the upper left corner; the reverse with ‘12ll.' This refers to the eight involuntary expressions of emotions, as listed by Keshav Das: expressions of “stupor, trembling, speechlessness, pallor, tearfulness, perspiration, thrill and fainting.” (M.S. Randhawa, Kangra Paintings on Love, New Delhi, 1962, p.51). The verso is inscribed with a verse from the Rasikapriya in alternating red and black script:
O foolish girl! Abandon all your desires and do not get your heart on fire. Radha and Krishna are the ideal romantic couple, better than Rati and Kama. Even Parvati cannot sow discord between them, and it would be foolish of Saraswati to come in between them. The two of them are of the same mind, they share the same thoughts and have one breath. They may appear two in body but are united by their eyes. 15.9 (translation by Dr. Harsha Dehejia)
This is likely a conversation between the two sakhis, one warning the other not to covet the handsome Krishna or attempt to come in between the couple. Watching the two together, she speaks to the divinity of Radha and Krishna's love, which reaches higher heights than even that of the gods. Not even the god of love himself, Kama, can compete with the depth of their love–and who could, when the union of Radha and Krishna is one and the same as the union of the soul with god?
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Bundi, India Circa 1680 Opaque watercolor heightened with gold on paper Image: 28,9 cm x 14,9 cm Provenance: Michael Goedhius Colnaghi Oriental, London. Acquired from the above by Francoise et Claude Bourelier, Paris, 18 February 1987. Artcurial, Paris, 12 May 2015, lot 292. Price on request
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
The present painting is an illustration of the court poet Keshav Das' love poem, the Rasikapriya. The popular treatise, which explores the notion of ideal lovers, was composed in 1591 for his patron, the Raja of Orchha. Radha and Krishna are inserted into these narratives revolving around love to serve as the nayika and nayak (heroine and hero). This scene, identified as folio number 266, is centered around the beauty of Radha. Similarities to the Chunar court Ragamala series, one of the early products of an apparent Mughal influence in Rajasthan (created around the time the Rasikapriya was authored) are evident: a vertical format, colorful architectural elements with white roofs, and carefully-executed landscape elements. Such qualities point to the Bundi origin of this painting as it was the next home of the likely-commissioner of the Chunar Ragamala series, Ratan Singh. The expressive facial features differentiate this seventeenth-century Bundi painting from the earlier Mewar paintings Bundi artists imitated, wherein flat figures and bold lines prevailed.
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lAKsHmi mAssAging THE FooT oF visHnU
Kangra, India Circa 1810-1820 Opaque watercolor heightened with gold and silver on paper Painting: 23,3 cm x 15,8 cm Folio: 28,5 cm x 21 cm Provenance: Private Canadian collection Price on request
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Kapoor Galleries M.: + 1 (212) 794-2300 E.: info@kapoors.com W: www.kapoors.com
Vishnu or Narayana, looking as young and resplendent as his avatar Krishna, sits crowned and enthroned on a green throne seat. His four arms carry the usual attributes of Vishnu – mace, lotus, conch and discus. laskshmi crouches before him reverencing his left foot – his right is raised up and placed on the throne in the traditional posture of royal ease adopted by divinities, maharaja-lilasana. Vishnu's posture is a somewhat daring exercise in converting to a perspective view from the side, a composition always seen from the front in earlier sculpture and painting. Behind the throne stands a young woman with a chowrie and the white cloth signifying royalty. The divinity is here treated exactly like a raja, enthroned on a terrace with dishes awaiting his pleasure. Two baluster columns enclose the scene, their linking arch half hidden by a textile blind, while instead of a landscape there is beyond the terrace a gold ground sky streaked with orange and with rolling clouds. This painting is a later version of an original of 176570 formerly in the collection of Gloria Katz and Williard Huyck, sold at sotheby's New york, 22 march 2002, lot 49, and now in the Benkaim Collection, Los Angeles. Portraits or scenes viewed through an arched opening had become a commonplace of Guler painting from the 1750s. A portrait of Raja Govardhan Chand smoking a hookah, circa 1750 (Archer 1973, Guler 24), employs exactly the same type of pillar and capital with acanthus leaf molding as does our painting here. A golden sky frames the figures with rolling colored clouds and garish streaks above, while a rolled up blind closes the scene at the top. The vividly coloured sky is also found in Basohli painting at this time (Archer 1973, Basohli 25-26) and reflects influence from Mughal painting both from Delhi and Avadh, possibly brought back to the hills after Nainsukh's pilgrimage with his new patron Raja Amrit Pal of Basohli to distant Puri in 1763. A lady smoking a hookah on a terrace has exactly the same kind of arched format and background as ours (Losty 2012, no. 17). For an almost identical painting from the Galbraith Collection, see Welch & Beach 1965, no. 77.
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KRisHnA dAnCing on KAliYA
Chola, India 10 - 12th century Bronze Height: 11 cm Price. 15.000 USD
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Sue Ollemans M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356 E.: sue@ollemans.com W: www.ollemans.com
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The Cholas came to power between the 9th and the late 13th Centuries. Their kings, based in Tanjore (Thanjavur) ruled over most of South India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and parts of island of Java in Indonesia. The Chola were active patrons of the arts. During their reign poetry, drama, music and dance flourished. They also constructed enormous temple complexes decorated inside and out with sculptured and painted representations of the Hindu gods. By the 10th Century, the representations of deities were taking part in a variety of public roles like those of a human monarch. Large bronze images were therefore created to be carried outside the temples during daily rituals, processions and temple festivals. The smaller sculptures were used in households as objects of private devotion. ` This bronze was cast during the 10 – 12th Centuries at the height of the Chola Empire. It shows the god Krishna dancing on the body of the Naga serpent Kaliya. Krishna is the eight avatars of Vishnu, the preserver of the universe. It is finely detailed, Krishna`s right hand is in the abhaya-mudra gesture of protection, while with his left hand he is triumphantly holding the tail of the snake the five hooded Kaliya has his hands held in the anjali mudra, the gesture of respect and worship. Krishna in this depiction still a young cow herd has been called upon by the villagers to subdue the serpent king Kaliya in the Yamuna River. With his superhuman powers, Krishna tamed the serpent. He is depicted as dancing on the body of the serpent; Realizing that Krishna was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself, he begged for forgiveness and promised never to torment anyone again. Krishna forgave him and told him to go back to his family, never to return.
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A RARE ETCHEd CARnEliAn And gold BEAd nECKlACE
South India 16 – 17th century Length: 44 cm Price: 5.000 USD
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Sue Ollemans M.: + 44 (0) 7775 566 356 E.: sue@ollemans.com W: www.ollemans.com
FEBRUARY 2022 - 107
A Rare gold necklace of etched carnelian beads found in the Samon River area mounted with 23 varying gold beads of shakra form. The central bead portraying the Sun or Surya set with a cabochon ruby in the centre, Feet of Vishnu, Conch Shells, Dharma Wheel
The eight-spoked wheel represents the aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, said to lead one out of the cycle of rebirth. In some early Buddhist sites, the wheel served as a symbol of the Buddha himself.
A right-turning white conch is sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists as one of the eight auspicious symbols. It represents the sound of the Dharma, the teachings of the Buddha
lord Vishnu's feet are believed to contain many symbols like the conch, fish and disc — to remind us of many things. Fish cannot live without water, just like devotees without the Supreme. Being. In many spiritual traditions, it is believed that the body and soul are connected and even embodied in the soles of the feet.
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AvAloKiTEsHvARA PAdmAPAni "loTUs HoldER"
North India Circa 12th century Bronze Height: 11,5 cm Provenance: Nyingjei Lam collection Price on request
ObjeCT PReSenTed by:
Hollywood Galleries T.: +852 2559 8688 E.: hollywoodgalleries@gmail.com W.: www.hollywood-galleries.com
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Padmapani is commonly known as the 2-armed form of the deity of compassion, Avalokitesvara. Padmapani holds a lotus stem in his left hand and the full lotus emerges at his shoulder. He is standing on double lotus and in front of an unusual halo.
