A Marble Pillar with Deities
Lots which are Art Treasures under the Art and Ant… Read more Property from the collection of a GentlemanRegistered Antiquity – Non-Exportable
A Marble Pillar with Deities

Gujarat, India, 12th century

Details
A Marble Pillar with Deities
Gujarat, India, 12th century
Intricately carved with three tiers, each depicting a central deity seated in lalitasana between two columns flanked by attendants on either side, the bottom two topped with ornate arches
35 3/8 in. (90 cm.), high
Provenance
Private collection, Mumbai, by 2005, from whom acquired by the present owner in 2006
Special notice
Lots which are Art Treasures under the Art and Antiquities Act 1972 cannot be exported outside India. Please note that lots are marked as a convenience to you and we shall not be liable for any errors in, or failure to, mark any lot.

Brought to you by

Umah Jacob
Umah Jacob

Lot Essay

Carved in deep relief and with exceptional openwork, this column is a classic example of the ornate medieval sculpture of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The efflorescent marble, a material appreciated across cultures for its translucence and ability to be carved in detail, was commonly used in Rajasthan and Gujarat, especially for Jain sculpture. Compare the use of honorific motifs, such as the heavenly elephants, flywhisk bearers and other mythical creatures, as well as the stylised swirls of the architecture to that of the Jain arch at the Yale University Art Gallery (see P. Granoff, Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection, Ahmedabad, 2009, pp.180-181, cat.no. S 11). The intricate detail in both works demonstrate the preoccupation with architectural embellishment in Medieval sculpture from this region.
Compare with a black stone column of Vishnu sold at Christie's New York, 13 September 2016, lot 240. Although the column of Vishnu displays similar iconographical structure, with three tiers of deities and their retinue, the marble pillar is twice the size. It is also more intricately carved, the facets sculpted much more in the round in polished white marble, giving a special luster to the refined architectural details. The marble pillar, likely Jain, is clearly the work of a highly accomplished sculptor from Medieval Gujarat.

More from The India Sale - Classical Indian Art

View All
View All