Matthew Thomas
Senior Specialist
Lot 100W
A carved relief sandstone Panel North or Central India, 8th/9th Century
6 October 2015, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £5,000 inc. premium
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A carved relief sandstone Panel
North or Central India, 8th/9th Century
North or Central India, 8th/9th Century
carved in high relief, the columns divided into niches, the left column depicting four seated matrika goddesses, with boar-headed Varahi and the fearsome Chamunda identifiable in the second and fouth niches; the central column with a gana or attendant holding up a seated female deity, a yakshi or river goddess below; right column with seated Ganesha above, a male deity possibly Shiva as Gajasamhara slaying an elephant, and a vyala below
68 cm. high (approx.)
68 cm. high (approx.)
Footnotes
Provenance
Private UK collection since circa 1960
The matrikas are 'mother goddesses' usually depicted as a group of seven - Indrani, Brahamani, Maheshvari, Kaumari, Varahi, Vaishnavi and Chamunda. They embody the energies of male gods and were created by Devi, the Great Goddess, to combat demons. They are usually seen on temple doorways, depicted with a form of Shiva and his son, Ganesha. For further discussion, see V. Desai, D. Mason (ed.), Gods, Guardians and Lovers: Temple Sculptures from North India A.D.700-1200, New York, 1993, pp. 246-247, no. 62.