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† A TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF DANCING SHIVA, GUPTA PERIOD
奥地利
2024年12月17日 开拍
拍品描述
? A TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF DANCING SHIVA, GUPTA PERIOD

Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 24 February 2011, based on sample number N110q15, sets the firing date of three samples taken between 1000 and 1700 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.

Eastern India, Bihar or Bengal, 5th-6th century. Finely modeled as Shiva in a swayed pose, with plump torso, arms, and a round head surmounted by a mass of frizzed curls, its central tresses drawn into a low chignon. His ears are adorned with a loop earplug on the right side and bell-like ornament on the left side, denoting the female and male aspects of his personality. Shiva wears a necklace of Rudraksha beads, a ribbon tie on his right shoulder, and two different bracelets adorning his sensitively posed hands which evoke divine energy flowing through his fingers.

Provenance
: From a notable collector in London, United Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, obvious losses, nicks, scratches, small repairs to the face, minor touchups, chips, and expected firing flaws. Overall, fully consistent with the age of the sculpture.

Weight: 4.2 kg (incl. base)
Dimensions: Height 31.5 cm (incl. base), 27 cm (excl. base)

Mounted to a modern metal base.

It is believed that clay from the bed of the sacred rivers is endowed with the spiritual qualities required for icons into which a god could enter because it harnessed the four elements. Earth is the base material, usable by the application of water, made firm by exposure to air and given permanence by fire. Finally, the fifth element, the unseen spiritual force, is introduced through correct attention to the other four, and the resultant image is given sacred vitality, rendering it an effective focus of devotion. These elements represent the forces controlled by Shiva, making clay a particularly appropriate material for his images.

This terracotta image of dancing Shiva probably comes from an outer wall of a temple. The figure is sculpted in high relief, originally part of a rectangular panel that occupied a ghanadvara (solid aperture) on a temple wall. Inside a Shiva temple the linga occupied an austere, undecorated cell, the focus of sculpture and other ornament being on the outside walls with series of panels adorning doorways and window frames. The angle of flatness at the reverse of the sculpture suggests that, while the head and arms of the figure stand away from their backing, the legs were probably formed in lower relief. It also suggests that the panel was placed quite high on the temple wall, above the level of the devotee. The eyes and mouth have been sculpted and incised with deeper lines than the rest of the composition, in order to ensure the devotee’s ability to make personal contact with the god.

Expert’s note:
For a more detailed commentary, elaborating on the historical context and showing further comparisons, please request a PDF copy of the academic dossier for this lot from our customer support department.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related terracotta head of a male figure, dated to the 6th century, India, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1985.398.1. Compare a related terracotta relief of Garuda, dated to the 5th to 6th century, Bihar or Bengal, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, accession number 2011-01953.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 154
Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 20,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Terracotta Head of a Deity, Bangladesh, Gupta period, 5th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, facial features, condition, and size (25.4 cm).



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