Lot 56
56
A gilt copper figure of Vasudhara
A gilt copper figure of Vasudhara

NEPAL, 11TH CENTURY

Details
A gilt copper figure of Vasudhara
Nepal, 11th century
Sensitively cast seated in lalitasana with her right foot supported by a lotus flower, her six arms radiating around her with two right hands held in abhaya and vitarkamudra, the remaining hands holding a gem, the vase of Amrita, a harvest bundle and a manuscript, wearing a diaphanous dhoti finely incised with flowerheads
5 in. (12.7 cm.) high
Provenance
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired before 1996
Literature
Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, p. 192 and 329, cat. no. 248
Exhibited
On loan to Art Institute of Chicago since 1996

Lot Essay

Vasudhara literally means "Stream of Gems," which she holds in one hand, along with a sheaf of rice or wheat representing fertility and abundance, and a manuscript symbolizing knowledge. She is thus the counterpart to Hinduism's Lakshmi and an equally important deity for Buddhists to propitiate.

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