Page 72 - 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

Indian, Hi ma layan & Southeast Asian Works of Art
New York |22 Sep 2020 | 12:00 PM EDT

Lot 352

A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A VYALA CENTRAL, INDIA , CIRCA 12TH CENTURY
Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000 USD

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF H. PETER STERN
A SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A VYALA CENTRAL
INDIA, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY

Height 24 in. (62 cm)

the mythical beast with the body of a lion and a chimeric head, rearing up with a powerfully curved chest, fierce eyes and bared
teeth, wearing a beaded collar around his neck, the tail curled between his legs with the end emitting flames

Provenance
Spink & Son, Ltd, 1981

Catalogue Note
These figures are the most common feature on Indian temple architecture and usually act as a bracket set into recesses on the
exterior walls, supporting an overhanging cornice. The composite figure of lion and mythical head is a symbol of both royalty
and the force of nature, and their placement within temple architecture often serves as an element of protection. Compare the
present sculpture to a vyala from V. Desai and D. Mason, Gods, Guardians, and Lovers: Temple Sculptures from North India A.D.
700-1200, New York, 1993, cat. 15.

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/indian-himalayan-southeast-asian-works-of-art?locale=en 72/115