Page 107 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

PROPERTY OF A SOUTH AMERICAN COLLECTOR
449
A RARE MOTTLED RED SANDSTONE LION CAPITAL
INDIA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 2ND CENTURY
14æ in. (37.5 cm.) high; 22 in. (55.9 cm.) long
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, acquired by 1997.
Sotheby's New York, 25 March 1999, lot 144.
Private collection, Asia.
Christie's New York, 16 September 2008, lot 349.
LITERATURE:
P. Pal, A Collecting Odyssey, Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from
the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1997, p.
348, cat. no. 340

This capital features four fierce snarling winged lions. They are sculpted from
mottled red sandstone, a local material typical to Mathura sculpture during
the Kushan Dynasty. The softness of the material lends itself to the Mathura
style’s characteristic curvilinear forms and stylized expressions. This style
contrasts with contemporary Gandharan art, another famed center of artistic
production in the Kushan period. Gandharan artists used grey schist, a much
harder material, which is conducive to stark, more realistic detailing. The
present lot exemplifies the softer, more exaggerated Mathura style, with its
fluid, curving forms evident in the expressive faces and long, flowing manes.
Lions were a popular subject for capitals in this period because they were
associated with heroism and royal authority. Additionally, lions were often
used to represent the Buddha, as they are a symbol of the Sakya clan, which
the Buddha descended from. The addition of wings, which is less common, is
likely a result of Western Asian influence. While Gandhara is well-known for
its incorporation of multiple stylistic influences (such as Greek and Parthian),
Mathura was also a trade center and site of intercultural encounters. This
capital exemplifies both the heavy Buddhist influence and the metropolitanism
of the wealthy Kushan Dynasty.

P. Pal, A Collecting Odyssey, Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and
Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1997, cover and p.348.

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