CENTRAL INDIA, RAJASTHAN OR MADHYA PRADESH, 10TH-11TH CENTURY

This door jamb likely would have adorned a temple or sanctum entrance, purifying passersby with the blessings of the goddess. Hindu temples often feature depictions of the goddess personifications of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, who are significant deities and sites of pilgramage. In the present lot, the goddess (who may represent either of these figures) stands on the right side, joined by an attendant in the tribhanga pose. On the upper right, the small figure may be a naga, or semidivine snake being, who kneels beneath a cobra head. Nagas and naginis often accompany depictions of river deities, due to their associations with water. Above the goddess and naga, there are three registers depicting vyala, deities, and musicians, who are divided by uniform columns. While the small deities have highly stylized, graphic poses, the goddess’ pose is simple, a subtle sway of the hips that balances idealized proportions with graceful movement. She wears a dhoti slung around her hips and jewelry that encircles her neck and drips down her torso. The curvaceous, sensual style recalls other religious art of this period, including the sculpture of the Chandela Dynasty. For a comparable architectural fragment, see the Seattle Art Museum’s Ganga with Attendants (acc. no. 65.23).