Page 115 - March 23 2022 Boinghams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art

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A BUFF SANDSTONE DOORJAMB WITH RIVER
GODDESS AND ATTENDANT
CENTRAL INDIA, RAJASTHAN OR MADHYA PRADESH,
10TH-11TH CENTURY
57 in. (144.8 in.) high
$20,000-30,000
PROVENANCE:
Sotheby’s New York, 21 September 1995, lot 3.
This door jamb likely would have adorned a temple or sanctum
entrance, purifying passersby with the blessings of the goddess.
Hindu temples often feature depictions of the goddess
personifications of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, who are
significant deities and sites of pilgramage. In the present lot,
the goddess (who may represent either of these figures) stands
on the right side, joined by an attendant in the tribhanga pose.
On the upper right, the small figure may be a naga, or semidivine
snake being, who kneels beneath a cobra head. Nagas and
naginis often accompany depictions of river deities, due to their
associations with water. Above the goddess and naga, there
are three registers depicting vyala, deities, and musicians, who
are divided by uniform columns. While the small deities have
highly stylized, graphic poses, the goddess’ pose is simple, a
subtle sway of the hips that balances idealized proportions
with graceful movement. She wears a dhoti slung around her
hips and jewelry that encircles her neck and drips down her
torso. The curvaceous, sensual style recalls other religious art
of this period, including the sculpture of the Chandela Dynasty.
For a comparable architectural fragment, see the Seattle Art
Museum’s Ganga with Attendants (acc. no. 65.23).

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