A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF DURGA

NEPAL, 16TH/17TH CENTURY

Details

A GILT BRONZE FIGURE OF DURGA
NEPAL, 16TH/17TH CENTURY
Striding in alidhasana with her sixteen hands radiating about her in mudras and holding various weapons and implements, clad in long dhoti with incised borders, wearing beaded necklaces and large round earrings, the face with a gentle smile and downcast expression centered by the third eye, her hair pulled into a tall chignon secured with a foliate tiara, backed by a pointed nimbus
6 ½ in. (16.5 cm.) high

Provenance

The Sporer Collection, New Jersey, acquired in London, 20 June 1972

Literature

Himalayan Art Resource (himalayanart.org), item no. 24048

Lot Essay

The Warrior Goddess is the fearsome demon-destroying form of Parvati, the Daughter of the Himalayas. In her mythology, she is associated with many different gods, including Brahma, Vishnu and Krishna, while her association with Shiva and Parvati is popular in the Himalayan regions.

Compare the nimbus, crown, and the modeling of the face and body with a seated image of Durga in the Rubin Museum of Art (himalayanart.org, item no. 65790).

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