Page 38 - CHRISTIE'S Himalayan and SOutheast Asian Works of Art 09/13/17

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Umamaheshvara

621
A BLACK STONE STELE OF UMAMAHESHVARA

NORTHEASTERN INDIA, CIRCA 9TH CENTURY
23º in. (59 cm.) high
$100,000-150,000

印度東北部 約九世紀 黑石烏瑪與大自在天碑

PROVENANCE

Collection of Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, Los Angeles.
Sotheby’s New York, The Heeramaneck Collection of Indian Sculpture, Paintings and
Textiles, 2 November 1988, lot 36.
Acquired by the present owner from Sotheby’s New York, 1 December 1993, lot 110.

This exquisitely carved and fnely detailed sculpture depicts Shiva and Parvati in
tender embrace. He sits on a lotus base with Parvati nestled on his ample lap. With
his left arms he holds aloft a skull cup and caresses her breast, and in his right
hands he holds a trident with a snake, while benevolently tilting her chin to look
at him. In turn, she embraces him with her right hand while holding a lotus bud in
her left. Both fgures wear striated diaphanous dhotis, beaded jewelry carved in
high relief, and beaded foliate tiaras securing their elaborately dressed hair. Their
facial features bear infuence inherited from the Gupta period – full lips, fnely
arched eyebrows and wide eyes with delineated upper and lower lids. Below the
lotus sits the couple’s animal vehicles, the bull and the lion, with Nandi looking up
at the heavenly couple. The group is set against an egg-shaped backplate with a
cross-hatched border, the shape echoing the story of Shiva with the Cosmic Egg.

The fnely-grained stone retains its rich color and polished surface, further
highlighting the deep carving. The jewelry for both fgures is rendered with great
attention to detail. For example, the sculptor has skillfully conveyed the heaviness
of the metal that comprise Shiva’s earrings, so much so that his earlobes are
extended and splay out to allow the earrings to rest on his shoulders. This artistic
device is repeated in later examples, including a diademed Buddha from Nalanda
(see Susan L. Huntington, The “Pala-Sena” Schools of Sculpture, 1984, fg.133).

The Pala dynasty was greatly esteemed for its arts and culture, with scholars
and merchants alike traveling from all over Asia, disseminating its visual culture
across the region (see lot 632). Its historical importance was recognized by the
great collector and dealer, Nasli M. Heeramaneck, in whose collection this work
once belonged. A bronze fgure of Avalokiteshvara dated to ninth-tenth centuries,
also from the Heeramaneck Collection and now at Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, shows nearly identical modeling of the body and facial features, including
proportion of the jatakamukuta in relation to the body, the delineation of the
eyebrows and full lips (see A. Heeramaneck, Masterpieces of Indian Sculpture
from the former collections of Nasli M. Heeramaneck, 1979, fg.115 and LACMA
acc.no.M.81.8.3). Appreciation of Pala-period works continues to grow, with new
connoisseurs collecting rare and important works from this period.

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