10th Sep, 2025 11:00
The Kienzle-Hardt Museum Treasury Part 2
187
A NARMADA RIVER STONE LINGAM AND COPPER YONI, 19TH CENTURY OR EARLIER
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve
€250
€500
A buyer’s premium of 30.00% (including VAT) applies to the hammer price of this lot if your bid is successful.
India or Himalayan regions. The yoni finely cast with a circular platform and a raised rim. The base flares outward toward the bottom, creating a bell-shaped plinth. The carved oval lingam rising from it, made from naturally banded stone, with a distinct two-tone coloration. The upper section in a warm reddish-brown hue and the lower section in a pale greyish tone. (2)
Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, signs of worship, and manufacturing irregularities, light warping, small dents, few minute nicks, remnants of pigment. The copper with a rich, mottled, naturally grown patina with small areas of malachite and cuprite encrustation.
Weight: 37 g
Dimensions: Length 5.9 cm
Natural stone lingam like the present example have been collected from the Narmada River since ancient times. Stones from this region, including so-called cosmic eggs, were believed to be colored by the impact of a meteorite on Earth. The markings on this stone symbolize the union of male and female principles, representing the wholeness of the universe.
The lingam and yoni are aniconic representations of Shiva and Parvati, symbolizing the union of masculine and feminine principles that underlie all creation. Their conjunction represents the balance of cosmic forces—Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (matter)—whose interplay gives rise to the universe. In Hindu tradition, the worship of the lingam is not merely symbolic of fertility, but is revered as an expression of the divine generative power, embodying Shiva as the source and sustainer of all existence.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Deccan copper lingam and brass yoni from Maharashtra, dated to the 19th century, 7.2 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1998,0616.49.
India or Himalayan regions. The yoni finely cast with a circular platform and a raised rim. The base flares outward toward the bottom, creating a bell-shaped plinth. The carved oval lingam rising from it, made from naturally banded stone, with a distinct two-tone coloration. The upper section in a warm reddish-brown hue and the lower section in a pale greyish tone. (2)
Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, signs of worship, and manufacturing irregularities, light warping, small dents, few minute nicks, remnants of pigment. The copper with a rich, mottled, naturally grown patina with small areas of malachite and cuprite encrustation.
Weight: 37 g
Dimensions: Length 5.9 cm
Natural stone lingam like the present example have been collected from the Narmada River since ancient times. Stones from this region, including so-called cosmic eggs, were believed to be colored by the impact of a meteorite on Earth. The markings on this stone symbolize the union of male and female principles, representing the wholeness of the universe.
The lingam and yoni are aniconic representations of Shiva and Parvati, symbolizing the union of masculine and feminine principles that underlie all creation. Their conjunction represents the balance of cosmic forces—Purusha (spirit) and Prakriti (matter)—whose interplay gives rise to the universe. In Hindu tradition, the worship of the lingam is not merely symbolic of fertility, but is revered as an expression of the divine generative power, embodying Shiva as the source and sustainer of all existence.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related Deccan copper lingam and brass yoni from Maharashtra, dated to the 19th century, 7.2 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1998,0616.49.
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Auction: The Kienzle-Hardt Museum Treasury Part 2, 10th Sep, 2025
📍EXCLUSIVE VIDEO TOUR: DISCOVER AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS WITH OUR SPECIALISTS
This remarkable selection assembled over decades by the Kienzle siblings and lovingly preserved through the stewardship of their solo heir Peter Kienzle-Hardt, reflects not only their shared fascination with Asian culture but also their profound respect for the spiritual and artistic heritage of the regions they explored. Learn more.
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