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A BUFF SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A CELESTIAL WOMAN, SURASUNDARI, 10TH-11TH CENTURY
Lot 200 - FAS0425
India, Rajasthan or Central India. Exquisitely carved in a sinuous pose as a beautiful, almost-naked woman richly adorned with jewelry, wearing a dhoti fastened with a festooned belt. One hand cupping her breast as she turns her head to the side with a gentle smile, the face carved with large almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows, long braided hair falling down her back, and ears embellished with earrings. Standing on a lotus pedestal, under a luscious tree with verdant branches, a peacock to the right and an attendant to her left.
Provenance: Canadian trade. Acquired from an old private estate in Ottawa.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, remnants of varnish, small chips, scattered nicks and scratches.
Weight: 12.1 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 44 cm (excl. stand), 49.5 cm (incl. stand)
With a neatly fitted hardwood stand. (2)
The attitude of her arms, suggesting a dancing pose, together with the almost impossibly curving torso and hips, creates a remarkable sinuous and sensuous line. As observed by Pal (Indo-Asian Art, 1971, p. 25), "Her posture is so exaggerated that her serpentine body appears to be altogether boneless. This is clearly reminiscent of the Indian poet's colorful analogy between the female form and the languorous, entwining creeper, apparently without substance but charged with endless rhythm."
This figure is not consciously posing, she is a surasundari, a celestial beauty whose presence on the temple wall is auspicious. Such figures strengthen the potency of the prayers offered in the temple as their beauty beckons the deity to listen to them.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related sandstone figure of a surasundari, Rajasthan, 10th-11th century, 100 cm high, in the National Museum, New Delhi, accession number 71.L/5.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 17 March 2014, lot 78
Price: USD 87,500 or approx. EUR 111,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A red sandstone figure of a celestial woman (Surasundari), Rajasthan or Central India, circa 11th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of carving. Note the similar size (43.2 cm).
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