Lot 579
India Orissa Red Sandstone Mithuna | Loving Couple | Bejeweled
India Orissa Red Sandstone Mithuna | Loving Couple | Bejeweled
Starting Bid: $4,000
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Northeast India, ca. 10th to 13th century CE. India, Orissa (Odisha), ca. 13th century CE. A large and magnificent carved red sandstone niche sculpture depicting a Mithuna — a loving couple — standing side by side in a posture of tender intimacy. Both figures are rendered with exceptional fullness and detail, wearing elaborate headdresses and richly bejeweled trappings, and holding various ceremonial objects, reflecting the consummate skill of the Orissan temple sculptors of the period.
From early times, iconic representations of deities and holy figures were augmented by auspicious images, such as beautiful women, musicians, and loving couples (mithunas). The figures of this bejeweled couple are depicted with full bodied and detailed features, which are characteristic of sculptures produced in thirteenth-century Orissa, a region in northeast India that was noted for its temples, particularly those built from the tenth through the thirteenth century. Couples such as this pair are understood to have multiple meanings, ranging from an obvious celebration of life's pleasures to the more metaphorical symbolism of a human soul's longing for union with the divine. Size: 24.125”H x 16.75”W (61.3 x 42.5cm).
Provenance: Property of a Chicago physician. Acquired from Arte Primitivo, late 1990’s.
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Item #
71822
- Condition: Some normal scattered highpoint and edge losses, the female is missing most of the object held in her right hand, and has loss to her left forearm.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $749 | $25 |
| $750 | $1,499 | $50 |
| $1,500 | $2,999 | $100 |
| $3,000 | $7,499 | $250 |
| $7,500 | $14,999 | $500 |
| $15,000 + | $1,000 |