Page 28 - Christies Indian and Himalayan Art Sept 2015

75
A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF INDRA
NEPAL, 15TH CENTURY

Finely cast seated in rajalilasana with his right arm resting on his
knee in a relaxed pose, with two lotuses rising over his shoulders,
the left blossom supporting his vajra, wearing a short diaphanous
patterned dhoti, beaded jewelry inlaid with hardstones and a tiara

with incised scrollwork, his face gently modeled in a serene
expression with a delicately incised third eye, downcast eyes
and mouth set in a slight smile
6æ in. (17 cm.) high

$80,000-120,000

PROVENANCE:

Private collection, United Kingdom, acquired by1968

PUBLISHED:

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24004

The present work is closely related to a 15th century bronze
fgure of Indra in the Victoria and Albert Museum (U.
von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, 1981, pp.362-363,
fg.97B). Both bronzes depict the seated god with an
attenuated waist emphasized by a jeweled belt which sits
in a V-shape across the hips, in contrast to earlier versions
where the belt rests straight across the belly (see: P. Pal,
Nepal: Where the Gods are Young, 1975, pg.116, cat
no.87). The present work and the Victoria and
Albert Indra also share a unique modeling
of the lotuses whose pointed petals are
individually articulated. The beaded
jewelry and tall cylindrical crown
over a slightly tilted head
further link these two masterful
works, placing them solidly in
the 15th century among the
fnest Newari sculpture.

26