A RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A CELESTIAL BEAUTY, SURASUNDARI, RAJASTHAN OR MADHYA PRADESH, 11TH CENTURY

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A RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A CELESTIAL BEAUTY, SURASUNDARI, RAJASTHAN OR MADHYA PRADESH, 11TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve The Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger, entry from 2012: “No. 574, HK 2008, Ex UK Coll., Central Indian Lady under Palm tree, 11th c., ca. 76 cm h.” Gallery price: EUR 18,600 or approx. EUR 26,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing. India. Finely carved, standing in a dynamic pose with her left hand reaching for the long vines above her head, her body twisting in a dancing motion. Dressed in a diaphanous dhoti secured by a festooned belt, the deity is richly adorned with elaborate jewelry around her neck and waist. Her face with downcast almond-shaped eyes and full lips forming a beguiling smile, flanked by ears with large circular earrings, framed by the neatly incised hair in an elegant chignon. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 70 cm (excl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) In Indian art, a surasundari (lit. 'beautiful goddess') is a young maiden characterizing feminine beauty and graceful sensuality. Buddhist and Jain shrines have featured sensual figures in form of yakshis and other spirits since the 2nd century BC. However, the surasundari motif gained prominence in Indian temple architecture only around the beginning of the 9th century. Shilpa-Prakasha, a 9th-century Tantric architectural treatise, declares a monument without a surasundari as inferior and fruitless. The 15th century text Kshirarnava states that the surasundaris should be depicted looking down (adho-drishti), not looking at someone. In temple sculptures, the surasundaris are often depicted as attendants of gods and goddesses. They also manifest as dancing apsaras. A salabhanjika or tree nymph is another variation of a surasundari. Literature comparison: Compare a related sandstone figure of a surasundari, dated to the 12th century, Orissa, 85.4 cm high, in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, object number 2006.39. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 September 2007, lot 59 Price: USD 121,000 or approx. EUR 170,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and manner of carving with similar sinuous form, adornments, expression, and size (80.6 cm).

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