SOUTH INDIA, TAMIL NADU, CHOLA PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY

Compare the present lot with a twelfth-century granite sculpture of a goddess from Tamil Nadu from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, illustrated by P. Pal in Indian Sculpture, vol. 2, Los Angeles, p. 272. Dr. Pal suggests the figure represents the goddess Sita, wife of Rama, identified by the distinctive dhammilla hairstyle and pose with thrusting hip. The present lot features a similar hairstyle, posture and lack of a breastband. It serves as a typical example of the ideal female form as created by Chola sculptors, with long, graceful legs, a flat abdomen, and small, delicate features.