An important green stone figure of Shiva and Nandi

INDIA, KASHMIR, 8TH CENTURY

Details

An important green stone figure of Shiva and Nandi
India, Kashmir, 8th century
Smoothly polished and sensitively modeled, the three-headed Sadashiva standing in gentle tribhanga, clad in a closely fitting dhoti and antelope skin, upavita, necklace, and garland, holding the mala and trisula in his right hands, his central face peaceful with three almond shaped eyes, broad nose, and full lips flanked by pendant bud-shaped earrings, the feminine face on the left side and the wrathful Bhairava on the right, each with neatly combed hair surmounted by an elaborate headdress and backed by a halo, his bull beside him
20½ in. (52.1 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Germany, circa 1990
Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, 1994

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

View condition report

Lot Essay

While depictions of animals are common in Kashmiri art, it is rare to see them represented frontally as Nandi is in the present example. The naturalistic modeling and unusual aesthetic device only enhance the sense of depth; for a similar example, see P. Pal, The Arts of Kashmir, 2008, p. 23, fig. 8.

More from The Doris Wiener Collection

View All