Page 6 - Christies Indian and Himalayan Art IRVING collection Sept 24 2020 NYC

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE NEW YORK COLLECTOR
701
A BUFF SANDSTONE RELIEF OF NARASIMHA
INDIA, UTTAR PRADESH, 10TH-11TH CENTURY
18 in. (45.7 cm.) high
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Christie's New York, 17 September 1999, lot 39.

This crisply-carved sandstone stele captures the scene as Vishnu transforms
into his lion-form avatar, Narasimha, in order to vanquish the demon-king
Hiranyakshipu. Vishnu, in the form of his boar-avatar, Varaha, had recently
killed the demon-king’s brother, Hiranyaksha. To prepare for vengeance,
Hiranyakshipu enlisted the help of the god Brahma, who granted the king the
power to not be killed by neither man nor animal, inside nor outside, at day nor
night, on ground nor sky, and by weapons animate nor inanimate.
Later, at dusk (neither day nor night), Hiranyakshipu discovers that his son,
Prahlad, had become a recent devotee of Vishnu and advances to kill him out
of anger. Suddenly, Vishnu, in the form of Narasimha (neither man nor animal)
lunges from a pillar (neither inside nor outside), props the demon king on his
knee (neither ground nor sky) and disembowels him with his claws (weapons
neither animate nor inanimate). This precise moment is depicted in the
present stele, with Narasimha fiercely pulling opposite ends of his mane as he
defeats the hubristic king. Donor figures, one likely representing Prahlad, sit
at his feet. Mythical vyala mounted upon diminutive elephants frame the lively
scene, along with more seated and standing attendant figures.
Representations of Narasimha in northern and central India reveal that this
avatar of Vishnu was worshiped in both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic
forms since the Gupta period. As is the case in the present example,
Narasimha is depicted with a strong human body, expressive lion head, and a
divine second pair of arms.
Compare the present lot with a sandstone stele of Narasimha with similar
iconography and composition sold at Sotheby’s New York, 23 March 2007,
lot 17.