Until 1st May, 2025
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A BLACK STONE STELE OF BHAIRAVA, PALA PERIOD, LATE 11TH-EARLY 12TH CENTURY
Lot 206 - FAS0425
Eastern India. Exquisitely carved standing in a slight tribhanga, the pot-bellied deity, the fierce avatar of Shiva, holds a khatavanga (staff) and animal tooth in his primary hands, the raised secondary arms with a khadga (sword) and khetaka (shield). Dressed in a short dhoti, the deity is adorned with a mundamala, serpent earrings, skull and serpent ornaments in his headdress, and a necklace made of tiger claws. His grinning expression seems to belie his fierce nature, but unlike benign deities, who smile without parting their lips, Bhairava's open-mouthed grin bares his teeth and contributes to his terrifying countenance. His beard, mustache, bulging eyes, and flaming hair also convey his frightening nature.
Provenance: Collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, and thence by descent to Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg. A copy of a provenance statement, written and signed by Jacques Grosbusch, dated 31 July 2024, and confirming the above, accompanies this lot.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, obvious losses, small chips, few nicks, encrustations, remnants of varnish to the edges, and signs of weathering and erosion.
Weight: 40 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 59 cm (excl. stand), 60.5 cm (incl. stand)
With an associated metal stand. (2)
Bhairava is flanked by two attendants with a fly-whisk in hand, as well as devotees and donors to the sides, with celestial garland bearers above, all under the kirtimukha to the top.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related Pala black stone stele of Bhairava dated late 11th-early 12th century in the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, accession number 2006.71. Compare a closely related Pala stone stele of Siva Bhairava from Bihar, dated 11th century, 99 cm high, illustrated by Susan L. and John C. Huntington, Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of Pala India (8th-12th centuries) and Its International Legacy, 1990, p. 154-155, 424, cat. no. 28.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 14 March 2016, lot 73
Price: USD 43,750 or approx. EUR 56,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A blackstone figure of Vishnu Vamana, Orissa, circa 12th century
Expert remark: Compare the related form, stone, and manner of carving. Note the different subject and size (105.3 cm).
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