South India, 15^th century. Heavily cast (total weight is 13.7 kg!), seated in lalitasana, his principal hands held in abhaya and varada mudra, his upper hands holding the wheel and conch. He is wearing a long dhoti, upavita, foliate armlets, necklaces, and tapering cylindrical crown. The serene face with almond-shaped eyes, aquiline nose, and full lips forming a benevolent smile. The present sculpture bears the telltale signs of raised edges rubbed smooth where beholders were gripped with the overt temptation to caress the figure’s face and chest.

Provenance: A private collector, acquired in 1975. Christie’s Paris, 11 June 2008, lot 203, sold for EUR 30,500 (EUR 39,500 in today’s currency after inflation). A French private collector in Paris, acquired from the above.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. The base with a crack and small losses. The pedestal is lost. Small nicks, dents and light scratches. Signs of weathering and erosion. One of the attributes is slightly loose. Few minor further losses. Superb, naturally grown patina with a smooth feel overall. Old wear.

Weight: 13.7 kg (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 41 cm (excl. stand) and 45.7 cm (incl. stand)

With an associated hardwood stand mounted on a metal base. (2)

The art of the Vijayanagar period, which spanned the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries in South India, shows continuity with the earlier styles of the Chola Dynasty (9th-13th centuries). As the Muslim forces established rule in Northern India in the thirteenth century, the South defiantly reaffirmed their commitment to Hindu ideals and practices. The main city bearing the name of the period, Vijayanagar, or “City of Victory”, is a declaration of the South’s triumph in overcoming a period of considerable chaos caused by the Northern invaders, and their link to the successful Chola dynasty was an affirmation that political, economic and cultural success would continue.

Unlike the naturalism present in the sculptures from the Chola dynasty, Vijayanagar bronzes are more heavily stylized in line, texture and design. The naturalism of the previous era is replaced with a still and motionless quality, as if the figures were frozen in time. The faces and bodies are frontal and straight, every detail is arranged with deliberateness. Although the figures still retain corporeal suppleness, the style is mannered and intentional.

Seated manifestations of the four-armed Vishnu with one leg pendant are extremely rare to encounter in bronze. Normally he is depicted standing. However, in a few avatars or incarnations of for instance Narasimha and Varaha one might find him in seated position. The reason for this particular phenomenon in bronze is not clear. On the other hand in stone he is represented regularly seated with one leg pendant. The more archaic rendering of this particular Vishnu bronze suggests a late date for its creation, around the fifteenth century.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related copper alloy figure of Vishnu, 38.1 cm high, supported on a pedestal and forming a triad together with two smaller and separately cast figures of consorts, also dated to the Vijayanagar period, circa 14^th-15^th century, at Sotheby’s New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 20 September 2021, lot 371, sold for USD 685,500.