SOUTH INDIA, TAMILNADU, LATE CHOLA/EARLY VIJAYANAGAR PERIOD, 13TH/14TH CENTURY

Details

A rare triad of granite figures of Vishnu and his consorts
South India, Tamilnadu, late Chola/early Vijayanagar Period, 13th/14th Century
The four-armed Vishnu powerfully carved standing upright holding his attributes of a flaming discus and conch in his uppermost hands, his lower left hand resting on his hip and the right hand held in the gesture of granting freedom from fear, flanked by Sridevi and Bhudevi each holding a lotus bud and with their outer arms elegantly extended alongside their bodies in mirrored poses, the stone with rich inclusions of mica
60 in. (152.3 cm) high (Vishnu) (3)

Provenance

Hubertus Elsterman Collection, Hamburg, acquired before 1958

Lot Essay

This group represents the classic Vaishnava triad of Southern India with Vishnu flanked by his two spouses Sridevi (Lakshmi) on his right and the earth goddess Bhudevi on his left, conceived as a single composition. Sridevi has a breastband (kuchabandha) and each hold a lotus. The god stands firm as a column while the goddesses strike graceful poses.
The extreme hardness of the stone with a high mica content leads the sculptor to focus on the overall sculptural form. All figures display subtle modeling and are carefully finished on the back with well-rounded forms. The more accentuated angular forms of Sridevi point to a later date in the period for this sculpture.
Compare with the Chola Vishnu triad at the Cleveland Museum of Art, see P. Chandra, The Sculpture of India, 1985, cat. no. 91.

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