Page 64 - Christies March 14 2017 Tibetan Bronzes NYC

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A BUFF AND RED SANDSTONE HEAD OF
VISHNU VAIKUNTHA

CENTRAL INDIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY
12Ω in. (31.5 cm) high

$20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE

Acquired by the current owner from Sotheby’s
New York, 30 November 1982, lot 266.
印度中部 約十一世紀 淺黃及紅砂岩毘濕奴外
琨塔像

This rare representation of Vishnu gives form to
the deity’s supreme manifestation, Para-Vasudeva
or Vaikuntha, in which his two avatars, Varaha
the boar and Narasimha the lion, are depicted on
either side of his central human face. This form
of Vishnu is mentioned in the Vishnudharmottara
Purana, an encyclopedic text for Vaishanavas.
Carved out of a single piece of stone, the artist
masterfully used the two-toned stone to
distinguish the faces from the lotus backing,
creating exceptional dimensionality.

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