Page 14 - Christies Indian and Himalayan Art IRVING collection Sept 24 2020 NYC

The Irving Collection

A M a g n i f
A Magnificent Figure Of
A Salabhanjika
A S a l a b h

The present statue represents a remarkably defined sandstone figure of
a salabhanjika. Salabhanjika refers to beautifully idealized female figures
standing beneath, or often intertwined with, a tree. Similar to a yakshi or
apsara, salabhanjika are semi-divine celestial spirits commonly carved in
sandstone to adorn exterior and interior temple walls across north India.
Salabhanjika can be found in various poses, such as dancing, playing a musical
instrument, or grooming as in the present example. Symbols of fertility, their
feminine features are often highly exaggerated and richly adorned.
Human images have been incorporated into Indian architecture since at
least the first century BCE. From the fourth through sixth centuries CE, as
sculptural traditions developed under the Gupta Empire, the human form
began to take more autonomous, naturalized, and individualist states. With
the Gupta Empire spanning widely across the northern Indian subcontinent,
artistic production at the time was marked by relative uniformity across vast
geographical boundaries. After the downfall of the empire in the sixth century,
distinct regional styles arose and by the eighth century regional stylizations
had diversified to the point where scholars are able to speculate on a
sculpture’s origins. In relation to figures of salabhanjika, apsara and yakshi,
this distinction is evident in the female body form; as the temple sites move
eastward into Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the center of gravity shifts
from weighted hips to expanded breasts, such as the example here.
The celestial female in the present example is postured beneath a mango
tree in a languid pose. It is said that the touch of the salabhanjika bears fruit
to the tree, representing both earthly fertility and the life-giving force of the
divine. The Shilpa Prakasha ("Light on Art"), an Orissan text from the eleventh
century, emphasizes that temple walls must be decorated with yakshi and
salabhanjika to ensure the temple will be fruitful. Figures with similarly
weightless mango canopies are used as bracket figures in the interior of the
popular temples at Khajuraho, the capital of the Chandella Empire.
The exquisite workmanship of the figure, marked by sharply defined features
of the face and adornment, further highlighted by the pristine present
condition and remarkable polish, is of note. The celestial being stands in
full, with no major losses to the sandstone details. Grasping her eyeliner
with manicured fingers, the salabhanjika applies kohl along her eyelid with
the utmost precision as she glances into a mirror held in the opposite hand.
She wears an elaborate jewelry set including a collar necklace of floral bud
pendants so crisply carved, they are still sharp to the touch. The sculptor
captures the movement of her hips through swaying sashes and jeweled leg
drops affixed to her waistband and girdle. Her features manage to be at once
highly stylized, idealized and exaggerated, yet organically composed.
Compare the present sculpture with a fragmented figure of a celestial dancer,
with similarly styled hair, jewelry, square urna and mango tree at the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art (acc. no. M.79.57), published in P. Pal, Indian
Sculpture, vol. 2, 1988, p. 114-115, cat. no. 44. Also compare to a similarly
styled, well-known figure of a contorted celestial dancer at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art (acc. no. 2015.500.4.14), also from the Irving Collection. Also
compare the present lot to a salabhanjika sold at Christie’s New York, 21
March 2012, lot 743. The two figures bear a striking resemblance to each
other in attire and appareance, while commanding slightly different poses.
The present lot, however, is in evidently superior condition, with crisp details
still intact.

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