A RED SANDSTONE HEAD OF A GODDESS, MATHURA, POST-GUPTA PERIOD, CIRCA 7TH-8TH CENTURY
A RED SANDSTONE HEAD OF A GODDESS, MATHURA, POST-GUPTA PERIOD, CIRCA 7TH-8TH CENTURY
India, Uttar Pradesh. Sensitively carved, the face is characterized by delicate feminine features and a hieratic expression, with heavy-lidded eyes beneath gently arched brows, a slender nose flanked by softly rounded cheeks, and full, bow-shaped lips. The finely incised hair is carefully arranged in waves and curls, drawn up into a high chignon secured by a beaded diadem centered by a pointed frontal panel.Provenance: Galerie du Carré des Antiquaires, Versailles, France, circa 1998-2002. Collection of Jean-Marc Andral, Belgium, by repute acquired from the above. Jean-Marc Andral is a Belgian manager based in Brussels and active in the healthcare industry for over 25 years.Condition: Good condition, with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, signs of prolonged burial, encrustations, obvious losses, minor chips, and possible old fills. The stone with a fine, naturally grown patina.Weight: 6.0 kg (excl. stand), 7.4 kg (incl. stand)Dimensions: Height 20.2 cm (excl. stand), 31.3 cm (incl. stand)With an associated metal stand. (2)The present sandstone head reflects the transition from the Gupta tradition of the 4th-6th centuries to the medieval sculpture of northern India. Gupta sculptors favored harmonious proportions, softly modelled features, and restrained expressions, qualities illustrated by the sandstone head of Vishnu from Mathura, dated to the 5th century, 28 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1942.498 (fig. 1). Its rounded cheeks, lowered eyes, and gently curved lips provide a useful comparison for the facial modeling of the present head.The elaborate treatment of the hair has earlier precedents in Kushan sculpture. Compare the sandstone bust of a crowned bodhisattva from Mathura, dated to the late Kushan period, 3rd-early 4th century, 42.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 2016.701 (fig. 2). Its cascading ringlets demonstrate the vigorous articulation of individual locks that remained an important element of the sculptural repertoire inherited by later carvers.These traditions endured as regional workshops developed increasingly distinctive styles, accompanied by the expanding role of sculpture within temple architecture and its ritual setting. A head of Shiva from northern Pakistan, carved in stone, probably chlorite, dated to circa the 6th century, 12 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 2014.686 (fig. 3), illustrates this process. Its stern expression gives greater emphasis to facial forms derived from Gupta prototypes, while its looped coiffure preserves conventions associated with Gandharan bodhisattvas. The present head likewise combines the rounded contours of the Gupta tradition with strongly defined features and richly worked hair, lending the image a more commanding presence.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related sandstone head of a goddess from Mathura, dated to the 8th century, 18 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 1901,1224.9.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby’s Paris, 9 December 2021, lot 113Mid-estimate: EUR 12,000 or approx. EUR 15,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A sandstone head of a goddess, India, probably Western Gangas dynasty, 8th-9th centuryExpert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the much larger size (40 cm).
A RED SANDSTONE HEAD OF A GODDESS, MATHURA, POST-GUPTA PERIOD, CIRCA 7TH-8TH CENTURY
India, Uttar Pradesh. Sensitively carved, the face is characterized by delicate feminine features and a hieratic expression, with heavy-lidded eyes beneath gently arched brows, a slender nose flanked by softly rounded cheeks, and full, bow-shaped lips. The finely incised hair is carefully arranged in waves and curls, drawn up into a high chignon secured by a beaded diadem centered by a pointed frontal panel.Provenance: Galerie du Carré des Antiquaires, Versailles, France, circa 1998-2002. Collection of Jean-Marc Andral, Belgium, by repute acquired from the above. Jean-Marc Andral is a Belgian manager based in Brussels and active in the healthcare industry for over 25 years.Condition: Good condition, with expected wear, traces of weathering and erosion, signs of prolonged burial, encrustations, obvious losses, minor chips, and possible old fills. The stone with a fine, naturally grown patina.Weight: 6.0 kg (excl. stand), 7.4 kg (incl. stand)Dimensions: Height 20.2 cm (excl. stand), 31.3 cm (incl. stand)With an associated metal stand. (2)The present sandstone head reflects the transition from the Gupta tradition of the 4th-6th centuries to the medieval sculpture of northern India. Gupta sculptors favored harmonious proportions, softly modelled features, and restrained expressions, qualities illustrated by the sandstone head of Vishnu from Mathura, dated to the 5th century, 28 cm high, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1942.498 (fig. 1). Its rounded cheeks, lowered eyes, and gently curved lips provide a useful comparison for the facial modeling of the present head.The elaborate treatment of the hair has earlier precedents in Kushan sculpture. Compare the sandstone bust of a crowned bodhisattva from Mathura, dated to the late Kushan period, 3rd-early 4th century, 42.5 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 2016.701 (fig. 2). Its cascading ringlets demonstrate the vigorous articulation of individual locks that remained an important element of the sculptural repertoire inherited by later carvers.These traditions endured as regional workshops developed increasingly distinctive styles, accompanied by the expanding role of sculpture within temple architecture and its ritual setting. A head of Shiva from northern Pakistan, carved in stone, probably chlorite, dated to circa the 6th century, 12 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 2014.686 (fig. 3), illustrates this process. Its stern expression gives greater emphasis to facial forms derived from Gupta prototypes, while its looped coiffure preserves conventions associated with Gandharan bodhisattvas. The present head likewise combines the rounded contours of the Gupta tradition with strongly defined features and richly worked hair, lending the image a more commanding presence.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related sandstone head of a goddess from Mathura, dated to the 8th century, 18 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 1901,1224.9.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby’s Paris, 9 December 2021, lot 113Mid-estimate: EUR 12,000 or approx. EUR 15,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A sandstone head of a goddess, India, probably Western Gangas dynasty, 8th-9th centuryExpert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and subject. Note the much larger size (40 cm).
