A RARE GILT-BRONZE GROUP OF SHRIKANTHA KAMAKALA AND GUHYAKALI
NEPAL, 17TH CENTURY
5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm.) high
Details
- Title : A RARE GILT-BRONZE GROUP OF SHRIKANTHA KAMAKALA AND GUHYAKALI
- Classification : Sculpture
- Medium : Gilt Bronze
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Period : 17TH CENTURY
- Collection : Christies
- LOT : 689
- Lot Essay : This rare form of Shiva is known as Shrikantha, “one with the beautiful throat.” Shrikantha stands in Ardhaparyankasana (one leg dangling), embraced by his consort Guhyakali in cosmic union forming a Kamakala, or union of creative power. The present group is among few extant works depicting the esoteric subject. The petite lotus petals and beaded rim of the rectangular base suggest a late-Malla date for this uncommon image. Compare the iconography and Tantric ornaments with another seventeenth-century example of this esoteric figure in the Norton Simon Museum (acc. no. M.1979.91.S).
- Price realised : USD 50,000
- Estimate : USD 40,000 - USD 60,000
- Provenance : Acquired in the Macau art market, 1996