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Lot 158

The dance of Siva
Kangra, mid-19th Century

11 June 2020, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £4,437.50 inc. premium

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The dance of Siva
Kangra, mid-19th Century

gouache and gold on paper, blue and red ruled inner margins, outer border trimmed
184 x 248 mm.

Footnotes

Provenance
Formerly with the Isaacs Gallery, 832 Yonge Street, Toronto, Canada (gallery label on backboard with typewritten description).

The most powerful form of Siva's dance is as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance), symbolising the destruction of the Universe. But in this depiction he appears more benevolently but ecstatically with members of his family: Parvati plays a vina, Ganesh and Kartikkeya play drums, trumpet and rattles, and multi-armed Banasura bangs multiple drums. Nandi sits placidly as a monkey attendants blows a trumpet. For another Pahari depiction in the Polsky collection, see A. Topsfield (ed.), In the Realm of Gods and Kings: Arts of India, 2013, pp. 106-107, no. 39.

Additional information