Page 69 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

This magnifcent sculpture depicting the goddess Uma carries a
storied provenance, acquired in Chennai, India (formerly Madras)
in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, by Mrs. Florence
Sutherland Orr. In 1935, the present lot was gifted to the D’Amour
Museum of Fine Arts in Springfeld, Massachusetts on long-term
loan, until its deaccession at Christie’s New York in 2013; after
which it has remained in a private collection.
The current work is a large-scale representation of Uma, standing
at more than twenty-fve inches in height. The consort and shakti
of Shiva, Uma is considered the epitome of feminine perfection
and assumes multiple identities as a young maiden, wife and
mother. This exquisitely cast bronze fgure demonstrates her
sensuous femininity through her dynamic pose, the drapery of her
garment and her delicately stylized jewelry. Poised in tribhanga on
a double lotus atop a rectangular base, her left hand is extended in
lolahasta mudra, and the right hand in katakamukha mudra.

In contrast to the languid forms of the early Chola period, bronzes
of the late Chola, such as the present lot, show a proclivity towards
muscular and exaggerated physiques, as well as great attention to
the intricate details of jewelry, drapery, and bodily features. The
long legs are emphasized by defned shins that have an almost
triangular edge. Bronze fgures from this period depicting Uma
(also known as Parvati) have feshy torsos with defned trivali
tarangini or triple lines across the belly (a late-Chola convention),
and larger, more defned breasts.
South Indian images of the divine and their attendant fgures
are based on hymns created by poet-saints or nayanar who lived
between 600—800 CE. Among them were three principle saints,
Sundarar, Appar and Sambandar, who wrote seven hundred
hymns that form the sacred liturgical body recited in Tamil
temples. These hymns extol the feats of Shiva and his consort
Uma, and their irresistible beauty. The South Indian ateliers
manifested the poetic ecstasy of these saints into the evocative,
sensuous and idealized form of these deities.
In the sculptural traditions of South India, images of Uma and
her consort Shiva are considered some of the most important for
religious rites. In order for Shiva to bestow his benefcence upon
the worshipper, Uma must also be present; no matter how humble
or rich the temple, the two images considered essential were
the linga (the aniconic form of Shiva) and the anthropomorphic
group of Shiva and Uma. In the Shaivite agamas or religious
texts prescribing proper worship, bronze images of Uma and
Shiva can stand in for any ritual if the temple does not have the
specifed image.
Compare the elegant embellishments of the current work with
a twelfth-century bronze fgure of Uma from the Collection of
Edwin and Cherie Silver, sold at Sotheby’s New York, 22 March
2018, lot 1022: the festooned garlands at the hairline; the upturned
curls above the shoulders; the heavy lozenges which form the
necklaces; and the richly chased dhotis of both fgures. The chase-
work on the dhoti also recalls that of another twelfth-century
bronze fgure of Devi from the Collection of J. and M. Meijer,
illustrated by J. van Alphen, Cast for Eternity: Bronze Masterworks
from India and the Himalayas in Belgian and Dutch Collections,
Antwerp, 2004, pp. 52-53, cat. no. 5.

Compare also with a related image of Uma from the Rockefeller
Collection at Asia Society New York, illustrated by D. Leidy,
Treasures of Asian Art, New York, p. 52, no. 34.

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