Lot 1
South Asia, India, ca. 10th to 12th century CE. A dramatic sandstone stele relief depicting Narasimha, the part-lion, part-man avatar of Vishnu who killed Hiranyakashipu, thereby ending religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restoring dharma. Here, the zoomorphic god is shown disemboweling Hiranyakashipu who is placed horizontally across the god's body, balancing on one knee of a propped up leg. An extra pair of human arms rise behind his shoulders, fiercely pulling opposite ends of his mane as he defeats the hubristic king. His ferocious visage presents bulging, round eye, raised eyebrows, and a lolling tongue. Size: 3.8" L x 14.6" W x 22.1" H (9.7 cm x 37.1 cm x 56.1 cm); 25.5" H (64.8 cm) on included custom stand.
This impressive sandstone stele captures the scene as Vishnu transforms into his half-man, half-lion avatar, Narasimha, in order to vanquish the demon-king Hiranyakashipu. Vishnu, in the form of his boar-avatar, Varaha, had recently killed the demon-king's brother, Hiranyaksha. To prepare for vengeance, Hiranyakashipu enlisted the help of the god Brahma, who granted the king the power to not be killed by neither man nor animal, inside nor outside, at day nor night, on ground nor sky, and by weapons animate nor inanimate. Later, at dusk (neither day nor night), Hiranyakashipu discovers that his son, Prahlad, had become a recent devotee of Vishnu and advances to kill him out of anger. Suddenly, Vishnu, in the form of Narasimha (neither man nor animal) lunges from a pillar (neither inside nor outside), props the demon king on his knee (neither ground nor sky) and disembowels him with his claws (weapons neither animate nor inanimate). This precise moment is depicted in the present stele.
Narasimha is a significant iconic symbol of creative resistance, hope against odds, victory over persecution, and destruction of evil. He is the destructor of not only external evil, but also one's own inner evil of "body, speech, and mind" states Pratapaditya Pal. Representations of Narasimha in northern and central India reveal that this avatar of Vishnu was worshiped in both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms since the Gupta period. As is the case in the present example, Narasimha is depicted with a strong human body, expressive lion head, and a divine second pair of arms.
A less complete sandstone sculptureof Narasimha hammered $25,000 (now equivalent to $36,951.24) at Sotheby's New York on March 19, 2008 as lot 259 in the "Indian And Southeast Asian Works Of Art" auction.
Provenance: private Pasadena, California, USA collection; ex-private Los Angeles, California, USA estate collection, formed between 1970 and 2000
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#191558
- Condition: Small chip to proper lower left corner has been professionally reattached. Some nicks, chips, and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining detail and scattered mineral deposits throughout.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |