Page 75 - 2019 September 11th Christie's New York Chiense Art Himalayan bronzes and art

PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE NEW YORK CITY COLLECTION
332
A BRONZE GROUP DEPICTING VARAHA
AND BHUMI
SOUTH INDIA, TAMIL NADU, VIJAYANAGARA
PERIOD, 15TH-16TH CENTURY
5Ω in. (14.1 cm.) high

$8,000-12,000

PROVENANCE
Acquired from India Nepal Gallery, New York,
22 February 1975.
This small, charming bronze fgure depicts Varaha, the
boar-headed avatar of Vishnu, with the goddess Bhumi
seated on his knee. After waging war on Heaven, the
demon Hiranyaksha challenged Vishnu to a duel by
abducting his consort Bhumi, the Earth Goddess,
and hiding her at the bottom of the ocean. Vishnu,
in his third avatar of Varaha, immediately shot out
of Brahma’s nose and dove into the ocean to rescue
her. He lifted her up by his tusks and ascended to the
surface. Once safely above water, Varaha used his
chakra to disarm and destroy the demon.
For an iconic example of this type, see late Chola-period
bronze group of Varaha and Bhumi in the Victoria and
Albert Museum (acc. no. IM.6-1924), in V. Dehejia,
Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India, London, 2006,
p. 117, cat. 21, no. 61.

75