THE COLLECTION OF ALFRED E. MIRSKY, SOLD FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT PROGRAM OF THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY

A Bronze Figure of Durga

SOUTH INDIA, VIJAYANAGAR PERIOD, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY

Details

A Bronze Figure of Durga
South India, Vijayanagar Period, circa 15th Century
Standing on a circular lotus base, clad in a long dhoti securedw ith elaborate belts, wearing multiple necklaces, earrings, baju-bands, bracelets and a breast-band, the face with almond-shaped eyes and hair arranged in a conical headdress
18½ in. (46.9 cm.) high

Sale room notice

Please note that this lot is being sold for an organization which holds a State of New York Exempt Organization Certificate.

Lot Essay

While lacking all attributes, the figure closely relates to a Chola period figure of Durga; see V. Dehejia, The Sensuous and the Sacred, 2002, cat. no. 19. Durga as the destroyer of demons is frequently invoked as a protector, yet in Tamil Nadu she is also perceived as the sister of Vishnu, whose attributes of a discus and conch shell she likely would have assumed in this case.

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