
Mark Rasmussen
International Director
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Sold for US$87,500 inc. premium
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International Director
The attitude of her arms, suggesting a dancing pose, together with the almost impossibly curving torso and hips, creates a remarkable sinuous and sensuous line. As observed by Pal (Indo-Asian Art, 1971, p. 25), "Her posture is so exaggerated that her serpentine body appears to be altogether boneless. This is clearly reminiscent of the Indian poet's colorful analogy between the female form and the languorous, entwining creeper, apparently without substance but charged with endless rhythm."
This figure is not consciously posing, she is a sarasundari, a celestial beauty whose presence on the temple wall is auspicious. Such figures strengthen the potency of the prayers offered in the temple as their beauty beckons the deity to listen to them.
Published:
Pratapaditya Pal, Indo-Asian Art from The John Gilmore Ford Collection, Baltimore, 1971, pl. 10.
Provenance:
John Gilmore Ford Collection, Baltimore before 1971-2010
Private U.S. Collection