Page 25 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

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A BLACK STONE BUST OF DEVI Here, Saivite iconography suggests she might represent Durga, a
NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY manifestation of the Great Goddess at her most formidable. Her large,
20 1/4 in. (51.4 cm) high full breasts, her sword and trident, and her matted locks arranged into
a tall chignon bearing a crescent moon, are all congruent with Durga’s
$15,000 - 20,000 iconography. If so, then compared to more prevalent depictions, such
as her subduing the Buffalo Demon (Durga Mahishasuramardini), this
The sculptor has carved a powerful goddess, whose composed sculpture is a rare four-armed representation of Durga.
expression furthers the sentiment imparted by the remnants of her lower
right hand displaying the gesture of protection (abhaya mudra). Highly Alternatively, especially given her hieratic pose, this figure might represent
one of the sixty-four or eighty-one goddesses found in circular Yogini
prized in medieval North India, the black stone used to carve her
was imported from distant regions and used for statuary in temple temples, believed to bestow a range of magical powers on their
interiors. The sculpture almost certainly arises from the Shakta tradition worshipers, as noted by Dehejia (Devi: The Great Goddess, Washington,
1999, p.242.) Regardless, the sculpture exemplifies bold and immutable
in Hinduism, which considers our metaphysical reality as metaphorically
feminine, wherein the Great Goddess (Devi) is identified as the supreme representations of the feminine divine so lauded in Indian art.
deity manifesting in various forms, by comparison to the many male Provenance
deities that merely utilize her divine power. New York Private Collection
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 27 May 1965, lot 174
Estate of Dorothy Beskind (1917-2014), New York
Thence by descent
INDIAN, HIMALAYAN & SOUTHEAST ASIAN ART | 23