A SANDSTONE TORSO OF A YAKSHI, INDIA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 1ST-2ND CENTURY

A SANDSTONE TORSO OF A YAKSHI, INDIA, MATHURA, KUSHAN PERIOD, 1ST-2ND CENTURY
Finely carved standing in tribhanga, narrow-waisted and with a belly button, her arms raised, wearing a dhoti secured at the waist with a beaded belt, and folds falling down to the front, the arms with numerous bracelets, and a beaded necklace between her voluminous breasts.
Provenance
: From the Sally Hunter and Ian Posgate collection, Badgemore Grange, United Kingdom, by repute acquired in the London trade during in the 1980s or 1990s and thence by descent. RD collection, Paris, France, acquired from the above. Sally Hunter and Ian Posgate built their collection of paintings, objects, china, and furniture over the past 30 years in their home, Badgemore Grange. The property was bought in 1970 by Ian Posgate (1932-2017), an insurance underwriter at Lloyds of London. The couple shared a love for India and its decorative arts. They visited the subcontinent together many times and built a sizeable collection of objects, mainly through shops and salerooms in London.
Condition
: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear and losses, dents, and nicks. Signs of weathering and erosion, minor structural fissures. Some remnants of soil.
Weight: 12.3 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 42.7 cm (excl. base) and 47.3 cm (incl. base)
Mounted to a metal stand. (2)
The sense of dynamism
and power in the stance
, the masterful transformation of stone into the suppleness of youthful, voluptuous flesh barely interrupted by clothing, as well as touches of naturalism are all stylistic characteristics of female figures made during the
early 2nd century
.
Yakshis
are nature spirits and symbols of fertility and the depiction of them reveals the traditional Indian ideal of female beauty.
Related sandstone reliefs of Yakshis
dating back to the Kushan period, 1st and 2nd century, were found in a Buddhist stupa and monastery complex in the village of Sanghol. These stone figures and other artifacts from the Kushan period are now displayed in the Sanghol Archeological Museum, Punjab.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related sandstone bas-relief figure of Yakshi putting on a necklace, India, Mathura, Kushan period, 1st-2nd century, in the Sanghol Archeological Museum, Punjab. Compare a related sandstone figure of a female devotee, 74.5 cm, India, Mathura, Kushan period, 1st century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 2012.19. Compare a related red sandstone figure of Yakshi, 44.3 cm, India, Mathura, Kushan period, in the Ackland Art Museum, object number 84.2.1. Compare a related sandstone figure of Yakshi Shalabhanjika, 119 cm, India, Mathura, 2nd century, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number IM.72-1927. Compare the style of the belt to a figure published in Stanislaw J. Czuma, Kushan Sculpture: Images from Early India, Cleveland, 1985, p. 93, fig. 30.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's Amsterdam, 8 May 2002, lot 511
Price: EUR 14,340 or approx.
EUR 20,000
adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Indian, Kushan period, Mathura area, mottled red sandstone female torso, circa 2nd century
Expert remark: Compare the related motif, pose, and color of the stone. Note the larger size (74 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 19 March 2008, lot 260
Price: USD 25,000 or approx.
EUR 31,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Yakshi mottled sandstone, Northern India, Kushan Period
Expert remark: Compare the related pose and decoration. Note the smaller size (35.5 cm).