Represented sitting in rajalilasana, his right hand elegantly resting on his knee in vitarkamudra, his left hand resting behind his left thigh holding the vajra, dressed in a dhoti, upavita, adorned with inlaid jewels, serene face, horizontal urna, hair combed in a bun with a tiara.
This very elegantly modelled figure is characteristic for the Nepali representation of Indra, seated in the graceful pose of ‘Royal Ease’ holding his principal attribute, the thunderbolt, in his left hand. He’s bearing a crescent shaped crown and a horizontal ‘third eye’ incised on the forehead. Indra is the lord of the gods who plays an important part in the legends, life and art of Nepal, and the best that the Newari sculptor had to give often went into the making of images of this deity; compare to another bronze of Indra from the Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck Collection, in P. Pal, Art of Nepal, 1985, cat. no. S42, p. 119.
Details
- Title : A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF INDRA
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Copper Alloy
- Dimension : Height: 19 cm. (7½ in.)
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Period : 13TH/14TH CENTURY
- Collection : Christies
- LOT : 370
- Post Lot Text : A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF INDRA NEPAL, 13TH/14TH CENTURY
- Price realised : EUR 133,000
- Estimate : EUR 30,000 - EUR 40,000
- Provenance : Acquired in France by the grand-parents of the present French owner before 1980's