Page 34 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

THE PROPERTY OF DOROTHY AND RICHARD SHERWOOD

310 311
A BRONZE FIGURAL LOTUS PETAL FROM A A GROUP OF INEBRIATED ASCETICS ON A HILLSIDE
LOTUS MANDALA INDIA, MARWAR, 18TH CENTURY
NORTHEASTERN INDIA OR TIBET, 12TH-13TH CENTURY Image 11º x 7√ in. (28.5 x 19.8 cm.)
3 in. (7.5 cm.) high folio 4¡ x 10º in. (36.4 x 26 cm.)

$4,000-6,000 $6,000-8,000

This sculptural fragment, cast with figures on both the front and back, is The present scene depicts a host of holy Hindu ascetics or sadhu
a single lotus petal from a larger three-dimensional sculpture of a lotus drinking alcohol and bhang, smoking hookah, and generally unwinding.
stalk and blossom enclosing a central figure. The figure on the interior- Some have meditation bands still tied around their legs; a few are
facing side is a dakini, likely from a Hevajra mandala, and the exterior- engaging playfully with the animals around them. This bold-colored and
facing side of the petal depicts the mahasiddha, Virupa in the charnel lively painting comes from a historical kingdom of Marwar in the modern
grounds, mimicking such hierarchies in two-dimensional mandala state of Rajasthan.
paintings. Such three-dimensional lotus mandalas first originated in
Northeastern India during the Pala period; for a complete example, see
P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals, A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-
Asian Collection, Los Angeles, 1977, p. 96, no. 57.
Himalayan Art Resources, item no. 24535.

310 (recto) 310 (verso)