Page 372 - Chinese Art Auction April 25, 2020 2020 Galerie Zacke

440
A sANdsTONe sTATue
OF The suN gOd suRyA,
NORTheRN INdIA,
11Th-12Th ceNTuRy
Finely carved depiction of Surya
with his wife Ushas (the dawn)
standing immediately before
him as the herald of each
new day. Identified by his tall
cylindrical crown, while wielding
a beaming lotus in each hand,
the figure is devoted to the
sun god Surya, whose cult at
one time rivaled that of Shiva
and Vishnu, and who became
prominently incorporated into
the iconographic program of the
latter’s temples.

Provenance: From an English
private collection.
condition: Extensive wear and
weathering, losses as visible
on the images online at www.
zacke.at. Overall fine condition,
as expected from a statue of
this age. One old repair to right
lotus.
Weight: 14.3 kg
Dimensions: Height 50.5 (without
base) and 61 cm (including base)
Surya is dressed according to
traditional conventions that depict
him as a king. His ‘northern’ garb
is thought to resemble that of
Indo-Scythian tribesmen, like the
Kushans, who ruled Northern India
in the first centuries of the common
era. It is also thought to reflect the
influence of Iranian religious ideas
on Indian sun worship. (Rosenfield,
The Arts of India and Nepal,
Boston, 1966, p.43.) As Dye once
noted, Surya’s bold lotus blossoms
“suggest both the sun itself and the
boundless life it nurtures.” (Dye III,
The Arts of India, richmond, 2001,
p.136.).
The softly modeled facial features
with lightly arching brows and
narrow prominent lips, harkening
back to Gupta prototypes, point
to the regional style of Uttar
Pradesh in Northern India. So too
does the buff-to-reddish colored
sandstone, the less extravagant
array of necklaces and regalia
(in comparison with neighboring
rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh).
Compare these various idioms
with examples attributed to Uttar
Pradesh in Desai & Mason (eds.),
Gods, Guardians, and Lovers, New
york, 1993, pp.187-8, 244-7 & 262-
3, nos.28, 62, & 70.
With an associated modern base.
(2)

estimate euR 1.500,-
Starting price EUr 750,-

367