A gilt copper figure of Vasudhara
Nepal, 11th century
Sensitively cast seated in Lalitasana with her right foot supported by a lotus flower, her six arms radiating around her with two right hands held in Abhayaand Vitarkamudra, the remaining hands holding a gem, the vase of Amrita, a harvest bundle and a manuscript, wearing a diaphanous dhoti finely incised with flowerheads
5 in. (12.7 cm.) high
Details
- Title : A gilt copper figure of Vasudhara
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Gilt - Copper
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Period : 11th century
- Collection : Christies
- LOT : 56
- Lot Essay : Vasudhara literally means "Stream of Gems," which she holds in one hand, along with a sheaf of rice or wheat representing fertility and abundance, and a manuscript symbolizing knowledge. She is thus the counterpart to Hinduism's Lakshmi and an equally important deity for Buddhists to propitiate.
- Price realised : USD 43,750
- Estimate : USD 10,000 - USD 15,000
- Provenance : The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, acquired before 1996
- Literature : Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, p. 192 and 329, cat. no. 248
- Exhibited : On loan to Art Institute of Chicago since 1996