A RARE ANDESITE RELIEF PANEL DEPICTING RAMA, SITA, AND LAKSHMANA LEAVING AYODHYA FOR EXILE, 9TH-13TH CENTURY
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Indonesia, Java. Finely carved to depict a mythical-beast form chariot drawn by two horses, with Rama and his wife Sita seated in the back, with Lakshmana in the front holding the reins, flanked by two guardian figures carrying a large mace (gada) and a spear, all above a pedestal carved with a lotus petal trim.

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: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, obvious losses, signs of weathering and erosion, natural imperfections, obvious losses, small chips, scattered nicks and scratches, encrustations, and expected signs of weathering and erosion.

Dimensions: Length 110 cm

Numerous Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist temple complexes were built in Java during the Shailendra Dynasty (c. 730-930), including the great “cosmic mountain” of Borobudur in the 9th century. The present lot shares close affinities with the bas-reliefs at Prambanan, a 9th-century Hindu temple compound in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, in southern Java, Indonesia, dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu), and the Destroyer (Shiva). It was originally built in 850 during the reign of the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty. The temple compound, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second largest in Southeast Asia after Angkor Wat. It is characterized by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu architecture, and by the towering 47-metre-high (154 ft) central building inside a large complex of individual temples. Prambanan temple compounds originally consisted of 240 temple structures, which represented the grandeur of ancient Java's Hindu art and architecture, and is also considered as a masterpiece of the classical period in Indonesia.

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Rama, along with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, left Ayodhya for exile due to a promise made by King Dasharatha, Rama's father. This exile was orchestrated by Kaikeyi, one of Dasharatha's wives, who desired her son Bharata to be the next king. Despite the citizens' pleas and deep affection for Rama, he chose to uphold his father's word and embarked on a 14-year exile. They were escorted by Sumantra, the royal charioteer, and initially reached the banks of the Tamsa River. The people of Ayodhya followed them, but Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana eventually left them behind during the night to begin their journey into the forest.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related carved panel depicting figures riding a horse-drawn chariot, Java, 11^th-13^th century, in the collection of British archaeologist and TV presenter James Balme, published on his YouTube channel Tvpresenter4history. Compare a closely related bas-relief depicting Ram, Sita, and Lakshmana leaving Ayodhya for exile, in the Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, built around circa 900.