Lot 92
92
A rare bronze figure of Vishnu seated on a throne
A rare bronze figure of Vishnu seated on a throne

SOUTH INDIA, KERALA, PALLAVA PERIOD, 8TH/9TH CENTURY

Details
A rare bronze figure of Vishnu seated on a throne
South India, Kerala, Pallava Period, 8th/9th century
Seated in lalitasana upon a lotus throne with his pendant foot resting on a cushion over an extended petal, holding a chakra and lotus in his right hand and his mace in the left, clad in a dhoti secured with a sash and a kirttimukha clasp, encircled by multiple belts, necklaces, and bracelets, the head with a cylindrical crown backed by a nimbus and hair spilling down on the shoulder in two rows of spiral locks, the back of the figure also finely detailed
7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm.) high
Provenance
Dr. J.R. Belmont, Basel, before 1966
R.H. Ellsworth Collection
Christian Humann, Pan-Asian Collection, before 1977
Literature
P. Pal, The Sensuous Immortals, A Selection of Sculptures from the Pan-Asian Collection, 1977, p. 109, cat. no. 65b.
Exhibited
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Sensuous Immortals, 1977, cat. no. 65b.

Lot Essay

Bronzes of this early date are extremely rare and predominantly focus on Vishnu as a subject. The relatively few examples that are known are generally of small size. Stylistic aspects, such as the crisp treatment of the necklaces, sashes and the folds of the dhoti, point to Kerala as opposed to Tamilnadu, of which examples are even rarer.

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