Page 24 - Bonhams, Indian and Himalayan Art New York July 23, 2020

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A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF PARVATI
TAMIL NADU, CHOLA PERIOD, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY
20 3/8 in. (52 cm) high
$100,000 - 150,000
Parvati, or Uma as she is more commonly known in South India, is portrayed here standing in
an elegant tribhanga pose. Her graceful figure is of slender yet voluptuous modeling with high
rounded breasts, a pinched waist, and a supple belly above which three lines demark her solar
plexus. Uma has a beguiling gaze, through long half-moon eyes, set within her gentle oval
face. Her left arm lingers seductively in lolahasta mudra, mimicking the tail of a cow. Her right
is bent, raising her hand in katakamukha mudra, once holding a separately cast flower. She
wears a tall crown, called a karanda mukata, of piled rings diminishing in size and culminating in
a lotus bud. The concentric patterns within her crown are repeated throughout her necklaces,
armbands, girdle, and garment, embellishing the bronze’s texture.

While the subject is modeled in the classic Chola idiom, this particular figure distinguishes itself
by the lifelike fluidity of its stance, its amiable countenance, and the attention to detail its creator
has lavished on Uma’s ornamentation. Bijoux cup the back of her ears. Luxurious locks of hair
brush against her shoulders. Her tresses direct our gaze down towards the auspicious marriage
string (mangalasutra) tied around her neck. A fine garment is tied with a fan-shaped splay
above the small of her back, and decorative ribbons swirl across the front of her thighs. Uma—
whose suprasensuous form embodies shakti, the primordial cosmic energy—is portrayed here
in a sensitive and intimate interpretation of divine femininity. The sculpture is a testament to the
technical genius of the artist, epitomizing the confident and time-honored aesthetic canon of
the Chola empire.

Following Sivaramamurti’s stylistic chronology, the figure exemplifies the mature Chola style
of the 12th century. Her elongated makara earrings and shoulder tassels that no longer
terminate in the shape of a pipal leaf are generally indicative of the 11th century or later
(Sivaramamurti, South Indian Bronzes, New Delhi, 1963, pp.29-31). The lines accentuating her
solar plexus and the relatively simple treatment of her bangles and necklaces are customary in
the 12th and 13th centuries. Yet, this sculpture is less mannered and more svelte than many of
the 13th century, including an Uma formerly in the Ford collection (Pal, Indo-Asian Art, Tokyo,
1971, no.19) and another sold at Christie’s, New York, 19 March 2013, lot 237. Therefore, a
12th-century attribution is most appropriate. A good, close stylistic comparison for this bronze
is a 12th-century seated Uma which is part of a Somaskanda ensemble, published in Dehejia,
The Sensuous and Sacred, New York, 2002, p.131, no.16.

Provenance
Carlebach Gallery, New York, 3 July 1951
Private New England Collection

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