S
otheby's proudly presents Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art, a live auction taking place in New York on 22 September at 12:00 PM EDT. The small, but gemlike collection of works features superlative examples of Himalayan sculpture, led by A Gilt Copper Figure of Avalokiteshvara from 9/10th-century Nepal, along with superb Southeast Asian & Indian sculptures. Rounding off the auction are fine Indian miniature paintings, including Property from the Collection of H. Peter Stern.
NEPAL, 9TH/10TH CENTURY
Estimate $300,000 - 500,000
A GREY SANDSTONE FIGURE OF SHIVA
This finely carved sculpture of Shiva exudes authority. The deity is shown standing in a frontal posture, his broad shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist hugged by a sampot, worn high and typical of the Baphuon style. Crisp lines flow seamlessly between fabric, hair and skin, unifying the different elements and presenting the viewer and worshiper with an object of devotion that is restrained, refined, dignified and powerful.
LOT 344
A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF SHIVA VINADHARA
Here, Shiva is portrayed in his manifestation as The Lord of Music entrancing the viewer with the divine music of his vina and swaying in graceful movement as he plays. The tall jatamukuta crowning Shiva’s head tilts slightly, as if the Lord was tipping his head back to the rhythm; his entire body is attuned to the tempo of the music.
LOT 355
This rare and remarkable Eighteenth century painting from Bengal effortlessly fuses vignettes depicting quotidian and stately pastimes in a scene that pictures a stately procession winding its way across a landscape. This extremely fine and rare panting is one of only four known works of this caliber.
The viewer’s attention is unmistakably drawn to the focal point of the picture - the Nawab or nobleman atop a richly caparisoned elephant accompanied by a troop of retainers.
The cloth covered palanquin, closely guarded by armed soldiers and horsemen, contains a most precious cargo – the ladies of the harem!
A group of men are seen conversing in the far distance with a pet leopard by their side. Far from being exoticized, this is an accurate depiction of the courtly world of the time.
Yet another aristocratic pastime is represented here – hawking.
The cooling shade of a grove of trees provides respite from the heat of the noonday sun to a group of workers. This is a visual encountered in villages in Bengal even today.
Completing this timeless scene are farmers tending to their fields. The squatting figure harvests a produce of gourds, ubiquitous in Bengali cuisine, even as he balances a pet on his shoulder whilst his companion scatters seeds from a high perch on carefully prepared plots.
Estimate $50,000 – 70,000
LOT 368
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