Published: Eastern Indian Bronzes, Nihar Ranjan Ray et al., 1986, Lalit Kala Akademi, page 154, no. 240 (described as “Formerly Ajit Ghosh Collection, Calcutta. Present whereabouts unknown.”)

Northeastern India, Bengal, 11^th century. Finely cast standing in samabhanga atop a circular double-lotus pedestal raised on an elaborate openworked balustrade plinth with seven galloping horses led by Aruna on his chariot. One worshiper is kneeling near the right foot of the base. Surya holds a lotus stem in each hand coming to full bloom at the shoulders. He wears a diaphanous dhoti secured at the waist by an ornate belt, and fine jewelry with a tiara in front of the tall chignon. The figure is backed by a tall openworked mandorla with foliate border centered by the sun.

Provenance: Ajit Ghosh Collection, Calcutta, India, by the 1960s. Jean-Claude Moreau-Gobard, Paris, France, acquired from the above. A private collection in France, acquired from the above, and thence by descent. A copy of an expertise written and signed by Jean-Claude Moreau-Gobard, dated 16 May 2000, confirming the dating and provenance above, accompanies this lot. Note that this expertise includes a description of the figures of Dandi and Pigala, which are in fact missing, as correctly pointed out by the Lalit Kala Akademi publication. Ajit Ghosh was an Indian lawyer for the Calcutta High Court and a noted scholar, collector, and critic who is perhaps best known for his early work on Kalighat paintings, writing an article in 1926 for the Rupam Magazine, the quarterly journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art. He studied and wrote about varied Indian art subjects ranging from Buddhist manuscripts to Indian miniatures. The Smithsonian Institution has published much of his work. His collection of Kalighat paintings was acquired by Basant Kumar Birla (1921-2019), an Indian businessman of the Birla family. Jean-Claude Moreau-Gobard was an important French collector and dealer specializing in Asian art, born into a family of antiques experts in Paris. Today, the family business is continued by Juliette Moreau-Gobard.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, casting irregularities, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks, scratches, losses. Good, naturally grown patina overall.

Weight: 1,100 g
Dimensions: Height 26 cm

The Hindu sun god Surya is often depicted as a resplendent deity holding lotus flowers in both hands, riding a chariot pulled by, like in this present lot, seven horses which represent the seven colors of visible light and the seven days of the week. These horses are named after the seven meters of Sanskrit prosody: Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha and Pankti. Earliest representations of Surya riding a chariot occur in the Buddhist railings of the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya during the 2^nd century BC, but he only began to be worshiped within Hindu temples in the 8^th century AD.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Pala bronze altar of Surya from Bengal, 19.6 cm high, dated ca. 1075, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accession number M.81.99. Compare a related Pala bronze altar of Surya from Bangladesh, 19.5 cm high, dated 10^th-12^th century, in the Art Institute of Chicago, reference number 1980.267

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2012, lot 79
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 38,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A bronze altar of Surya, Northeastern India, Pala period, circa 10^th century
Expert remark: Compare the identical subject, similar altar form, and closely related manner of casting. Note the smaller size (19.7 cm).