Flying Spirits: Temple of Durga

Details

John Piper, C.H. (1903-1992)
Flying Spirits: Temple of Durga
signed and inscribed 'John Piper/Flying Spirits: Temple of Durga' (lower right), and dated '30 vi 72' (lower left)
watercolour, gouache and ink over wax resist
14½ x 22½ in. (36.8 x 57.2 cm.)

Special notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

Lot Essay

This present work is from a series of drawings that Piper made as illustrations for the book India Love Poems, 1977, containing Meary J Tambimuttu's translations of Indian verse. Piper wrote, 'The illustrations, to use musical analogies, are variations, rhapsodies or inventions on sculpture and paintings in Indian temples of the Golden Age, from the VI century to the XIII. They are not intended to be representational of the form or colour of the works themselves but are affected by the spirit and purpose of them, and often by particular poses.' Piper never visited India, and must have been inspired by photographs or other artists' representations of the original sculptures.

S.L.

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