Page 54 - Bonhams NYC Indian and Himalayan Art March 2019

854
A SANDSTONE BUST OF VISHNU
NORTH INDIA, 9TH CENTURY
11 in. (28 cm) high
$3,000 - 5,000
That the sculpture represents Vishnu can be discerned from the tall
miter, four arms, and the faint srivatsa mark on the chest. Vishnu’s
face is carved with gentle features below a ring of hair curls. He wears
a nice cohesive ensemble of braided and beaded jewelry. The con-
struction of the remaining part of a floral garland around his shoulders
compares favorably with a relief of a river goddess, c.900, in the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art and a complete 9th century Vishnu
shrine in the Norton Simon Museum (Pal, Indian Sculpture Vol.II, 1988,
p.121, no.48l; and Pal, Art from the Indian Subcontinent, Pasadena,
2003, p.133, no.1, respectively).

Provenance
Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, New York
Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 14 October 1964, lot 105
Estate of Dorothy Beskind (1917-2014), New York
Thence by descent

854

855
TWO WOOD RELIEF PANELS OF HEROES FROM
THE RAMAYANA
KERALA, CIRCA 18TH CENTURY
45 in. (103 cm) high, each
$4,000 - 6,000

Likely depicting Rama and Lakshmana, the two heroes wear bold
headdresses, lavish jewels, and voluminous dhotis, presented in
exuberant Keralan dress associated with the Kathakali dance tradition.
Two other closely related panels were sold at Sotheby’s, New York, 21
March 2002, lots 199 & 200. A similar wall panel of a female figure is
held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (see Pal, et al, Dancing to the
Flute, Sydney, 1997, p.210, pl.126.)

Provenance
Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris, 31 October 2017, lot 236

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