Page 28 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

827 ¤
A SANDSTONE STELE WITH A GODDESS
NORTH INDIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY
20 1/8 in. (51 cm) high
$3,000 - 5,000
To be sold without reserve

This stele depicts three divine figures, identified by their
halos. The male figure on the left holds the remnants of
a lotus bud in his raised hand, and may represent one of
Vishnu’s ayudhapurushas: a personification of Vishnu’s
lotus attribute. The central, buxom goddess holds a
lotus stem in her right hand and might represent either
Ganga or Yamuna, personifications of two sacred rivers
in North India commonly featured on door jambs of Hindu
and Jain temples. Alternatively, the central goddess may
represent one of Vishnu’s consorts, Shri Devi. These figures’
physiognomy and jewelry reflect a style seen throughout
North India, from Gujarat to Madhya Pradesh. Compare
a stele of a female attendant in the Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (69.28.1) attributed to Madhya Pradesh, and
another of Vishnu sold at Christie’s, London, 11 May 2016,
lot 7, attributed to Rajasthan.

Provenance
Collection of Fay and William Bullock King (1911-73), South
Carolina
Thence by descent
The Charleston Library Society, South Carolina, 1992-2019

827

828 ¤
A CHUNAR SANDSTONE STELE WITH
BODHISATTVAS OR NAVAGRAHA
NORTH INDIA, UTTAR PRADESH,
CIRCA 8TH CENTURY
8 3/8 in. (21.2 cm) high
$1,500 - 2,500
To be sold without reserve
The stele depicts three male deities standing in tribhanga
poses, holding garlands or implements in their raised right
hands and water pots in their lowered left hands. The stele
is made of Chunar sandstone, associated with the art of
Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. The carved front surface has
a buff color while the stele’s back is a mottled red. The
arrangement of each figure within arcaded niches is also a
stylistic feature of Uttar Pradesh (cf. Desai & Mason, Gods,
Guardian, and Lovers, New York, 1993, pp.244-7, no.62).

Provenance
Collection of Fay and William Bullock King (1911-73), South
Carolina
Thence by descent
Gifted to the Charleston Library Society, South Carolina, 5
May 1992
828
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26 | BONHAMS