Page 71 - 2020 Sept 22 Himalayin and Indian Works of Art Sotheby's NYC Asia Week

9/2/2020 Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art | Sotheby's

In this sculpture, Shiva’s primary arms lovingly caress Uma, with one hand brushing the underside of her chin with his fingertips
while the other arm firmly holds the underside of her breast and torso. There is contrast between the lightness of his fingers and
the strength of his arm around her torso, and this contrast between his tenderness and power is also played out in the attributes
he holds. The secondary left arm holds the trishula “representing his invincibility” while in his second right arm, “the peaceful and
beautiful lotus signifies a balance of elements in his nature.” (S. L. and J.C. Huntington, The Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of
Pala India (8th-12th centuries) and Its International Legacy, Seattle, 1990, p. 143.

Unlike Shiva’s erect posture, Uma’s body is fluid, soft and seductive, intertwining itself with his. Her full weight rests on Shiva’s leg
with her right leg folded inwards, her torso falling towards Shiva’s body and her outer leg opening to the side. She wraps her right
arm around Shiva, gripping his shoulder, while her right arm holds a mirror held nearly parallel to her face. For Uma, there is only
surrender to Shiva’s powerful embrace. Yet, she holds the mirror in a way that suggests expanding beyond the limitations of their
own physicality. The mirror, here, becomes the gateway welcoming the devotee into their sacred realm.

The divine couple are featured here in the moment before their union, the anticipation of which accentuates the possibility of
entering the divine realm. This expectancy is what creates a feeling of activity, carried throughout the piece in the swaying
movement of the surrounding figures and swirling foliate carvings throughout. Moreover, the bull and lion below, mirror Shiva and
Uma, with the bull showing his eager commitment to the lion who lies on its side, in a posture of full surrender.

For another example showing the pair in an identical embrace and with the same iconographical layout, including the trefoil arch,
see Sotheby’s, New York, September 21, 1995, lot 93.

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