Lot 66,
Mottled sandstone figure of Buddha from India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura,
Kushan Period, late 1st/early 2nd Century, 54 inches high
By Carter B. Horsley
This auction of
Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Christie's New York
September 15, 2015 is highlighted by a large mottled sandstone figure
of Buddha from India, a 2nd Century abstract anthropomorphic figure,
and a bronze figure of Parvati from the Chola Period in South India.
The sale total was $2,946,750
with 88 percent of the 62 offered lots selling.
Lot 66 is an important
and rare mottled sandstone figure of Buddha from India, Uttar Pradesh,
Mathura, Kushan Period, late 1st/early 2nd Century. It is 54
inches high. It is one of 9 Kushan erasculptues known as the kaparda group and
these are, according to the catalogue, "rendered with an exquisite
balance of naturalism, majesty, approachability, and senseof divine
authority. The catalogue entry states that this figure is
"extremely finely carved." A detail is illustrated on the catalogue's
back cover. It has an estimate on request. It sold for $1,085,000
including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this
article.
Lot 68,
bronze figure of Parvati, South India, Chola Period, 12th Century, 25
1/2 inches high
Lot
58 is an important and very fine bronze figure of Parvati from South
India, Chola Period, 12th Century. It is 25 1/2 inches high.
It was once with Alice Boney in New York. Statues
of Parvati, the catalogue entry notes, functioned "as a medium through
which one can engage in darshan, the mutual empowering exchange of
gazes between humans and the divine that only occurred during the
public procession of Brahmanical ritual practice. Bronze
sculptures would be bathed and elaborately adorned before being carried
in the procession, and while they wiould be dressed to cover all but
their faces, they would be cast with utmost attention to detail and
naturalistic forms." The lot has an estimate of $300,000 to
$400,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot 63,
bronze figure of Parvati, South India, Chola Region, 12th Century, 20
1/8 inches high
Lot 63 is a
bronze figure of Parvati from South India, Chola Region, 12th Century.
It is 20 1/8 inches high. It has an estimate of
$200,000 to $300,000. It
failed to sell.
Lot
75, gilt bronze figure of Indra, Nepal, 15th Century, 6 3/4 inches high
Lot 75 is a very
fine gilt bronze figure of Indra from Nepal, 15th Century. It
is 6 3/4 inches high. It is closely related to a similar work in the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It has an estimate of
$80,000 to $120,000.
It sold for $100,000.
Lot 71,
anthropomorphic figure, bronze, Gangetic Plains, 2nd Century, 13 3/4
inches high
Lot
71 is a marvelously abstract bronze anthropomorphic figure from the
Gangetic Plains, 2nd Century. It is 13 3/4 inches high. It
has an estimate of $30,000 to $40,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 83, gilt
bronze figure of the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchug Dorie, Tibet, 17th
Century, 8 7/8 inches high
Lot 83 is a
beautiful gilt bronze figure of the Ninth Karmapa, Wangchug Dorie from
Tibet, 17th Century. It is 8 7/8 inches high. It
has an estimate of $60,000 to $80,000. It sold for $147,000.
Lot 122, polychromed wooden
cabinet, Tibet, 19th Century, 69 1/4 inches high
Lot 122 is a
fine polychromed wooden Tibetan cabinet painted with tantric ritual
scenes with flayed skins of demons, eyeballs and severed heads.
It is 69 1/4 inches high. It is property of the
Rubin Museum. It has an estimate of $10,000 to $15,000.
It sold for
$6,250.
Lot
94, Sixth Karmapa, Tongwa Tonden, painting, Tibet, 19th Century, 39 1/2
by 24 inches
Lot 94 is a good
Tibetan 19th Century painting of the Sixth Karmapa, Tongwa Tonden.
It measures 39 1/2 by 24 inches. It has an estimate
of $80,000 to $120,000.
It sold for $137,000.
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