Page 201 - Art De' Asie Christie's Paris December 16, 2022

his large and magnificent bronze depicts the Hindu
deity, Shiva, in his most dynamic form, that of the
TNataraja, or ‘lord of the dance.” Standing with one leg
raised and his arms extended around him, Shiva performs
the ritual tandava dance, which in its entirety symbolizes
the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. In
his secondary right hand, he holds the damaru symbolizing
the sound of creation, whose cosmic vibrations perpetuate
the universe. His left hand holds agni, the fire which
signifies the final destruction out of which a new world will
arise. His primary right hand is raised in the reassuring
abhayamudra (fear-abiding gesture), while his primary
left hand is in gajahasta (elephant-trunk gesture),
indicating the defeat of ignorance that hinders the
realization of the universal truth. He is depicted
with the left leg raised, and with his right, he
balances on the dwarf, Apasmarapurusha, the
demon of ignorance and indolence. His wild locks of hair are
arrayed out from his head, both capturing the dynamism of
the dance, as well as to symbolically catch the falling Ganga,
the personification of the Ganges River, which according to
tradition was beseeched to flow from heaven to the masses
on earth.
The image of the Shiva Nataraja became prevalent in
South India as early as the sixth century, but reached
its zenith in terms of popularity during the Chola, and
later, Vijayanagara periods, from roughly the tenth through
sixteenth centuries. The image and its symbolism was
particularly popular among the emperors of those dynasties,
both for its projection of strength and ferocity, and because
of its association with the arts. As well as being the
sacred dance of Shiva, the tandava was also a ritual
dance-drama performed at Shaivite ceremonies within
the temple compounds of South India. As patrons of the
temples and of the religious structure in general, the Chola
and Vijayanagara emperors were also thus patrons of the
tandava dances and other ritual performing arts. Chola and
Vijayanagara rulers also sponsored the production of bronze
images, and as such, figures of Shiva Nataraja were physical
manifestations, and reminders, of imperial patronage of the
arts and religion.
Stylistically, bronze processional images from South India
remained relatively conservative, with only slight changes in
aesthetics based on location or with the change in dynasty
from the Cholas to the Vijayanagara Empire. Compare the
treatment of the face, the central portion of the hair and
bodily proportions of the present image, for instance, with
an eleventh-century bronze figure of Shiva Nataraja in the
Cleveland Museum of Art (acc. no. 1930.331), illustrated by
V. Dehejia in Chola: Sacred Bronzes of South India, London,
2006, p. 47, cat. no. 1. Images from the Vijayanagara period
typically more robust physiognomy, with thick, tubular limbs
and pronounced bellies, but the present bronze follows the
stylistic conventions of the earlier Chola dynasty with more
lithe arms, legs, and only a slight burgeoning torso. More
typically Vijayanagara in style is the rectangular, stepped
plinth with incised details upon which the figure rests,
which became the prevalent convention from the fifteenth
century onwards, replacing circular or ovular-formed bases.
Compare the base of the present figure with that of a bronze
Shiva Nataraja in the Chennai Museum, dated to the twelfth
century but possibly later, illustrated by Dr. R. Kannan in
Manual on the Bronzes in the Government Museum, Chennai,
Chennai, 2003, p. 135, cat. no. 67.
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