Lot 969
969
A MOTTLED RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A RAMPANT VYALA
A MOTTLED RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A RAMPANT VYALA
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A MOTTLED RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A RAMPANT VYALA

CENTRAL INDIA, MADHYA PRADESH OR UTTAR PRADESH, 8TH-9TH CENTURY

Details
A MOTTLED RED SANDSTONE FIGURE OF A RAMPANT VYALA
CENTRAL INDIA, MADHYA PRADESH OR UTTAR PRADESH, 8TH-9TH CENTURY
Shown rearing on one hind leg, the other resting on the ornate end of his curved tail, his head turned back over his body, the mouth agape with tongue lolling, the bulging eyes centered with a spiked crest
23 in. (68.5 cm.) high, not including tang
Provenance
Spink & Son, Ltd., London, 24 April 1979.
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. 255 and 349, cat. no. 347.
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. 347.

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Lot Essay


This iconic rampant vyala was a subject of particular interest to the Alsdorfs. Compare the bulging eyes; the curly stylized mane; and the tail with foliate motif which matches the scrolling foliate support under the proper left hind leg of the current lot with a pair of contemporaneous red sandstone sculptures depicting rampant vyalas gifted by Marilynn Alsdorf to the Art Institute of Chicago (acc. no. 1997.714a-b).

For further discussion of decorative architectural elements such as the above, see V. Desai and D. Mason (eds.), Gods, Guardians and Lovers: Temple Sculpture from North India A.D. 700-1200, New York, 1993, p. 162f.

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