A green stone figure of a deity

KASHMIR, 9TH CENTURY

Details

A green stone figure of a deity
Kashmir, 9th century
The graceful figure standing in tribhanga with his arms at his sides, clad in a diaphanous dhoti secured with a beaded belt, armlets, necklaces, and multiple sashes, a garland encircling his shoulders, his face with gentle expression and broad almond-shaped eyes, the hair in matted tresses secured with a foliate tiara and backed by a halo with beaded rim
10 in. (25.4 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Germany, mid 1980s
Doris Wiener Gallery, New York, 2010

Lot Essay

While the deity can't be positively identified from the extant iconography, it likely depicts the god Vishnu. According to Pal, the short dagger which is seen in this work and is often given to Vishnu images is only found in examples dating from the reign of Kashmiri king Avantivarman (855/56-883), which puts this work squarely in the 9th century. For a stylistically similar example with comparable iconography, see P. Pal, Indian Sculpture, vol. II, 1988, p. 71, cat. no. 14b.

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