A LARGE GRANITE FIGURE OF A GODDESS

SOUTH INDIA, TAMIL NADU, CHOLA PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A LARGE GRANITE FIGURE OF A GODDESS
SOUTH INDIA, TAMIL NADU, CHOLA PERIOD, 12TH CENTURY
Standing in a tribhanga pose with her left hand pendent at her hip clad in an ankle-length dhoti, the folds falling rhythmically across her legs, adorned with various jewelry, the face with full lips and almond-shaped eyes flanked by ornate earings, the locks of hair arranged in a semi-circular bun at the top of her head
62 in. (157.5 cm.) high

Provenance

James Singer Ltd., London, 30 October 1981.
The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago.

Literature

P. Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, 1997, pp. 187 and 327, cat. no. 241.

Exhibited

The Art Institute of Chicago, “A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection,” 2 August-26 October 1997, cat. no. 241.
On loan to Art Institute of Chicago 1997-2010 (221.1997).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Vicki Paloympis

alsdorfcollection@christies.com +1 212 636 2180

Lot Essay

Compare the present lot with a twelfth-century granite sculpture of a goddess from Tamil Nadu from the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, illustrated by P. Pal in Indian Sculpture, vol. 2, Los Angeles, p. 272. Dr. Pal suggests the figure represents the goddess Sita, wife of Rama, identified by the distinctive dhammilla hairstyle and pose with thrusting hip. The present lot features a similar hairstyle, posture and lack of a breastband. It serves as a typical example of the ideal female form as created by Chola sculptors, with long, graceful legs, a flat abdomen, and small, delicate features.

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