RARE FIGURE OF THE BUDDHIST DEITY MARICI. Origin:... Lot 7

RARE FIGURE OF THE BUDDHIST DEITY MARICI. Origin: North-East India. Orissa or possibly Bengal. Dynasty: Orissa art with strong Pala influence. Date: 11th c. Technique: Black stone, carved and polished. Description: Marici stands in a bold lunge (alidhapada) to the right on a double lotus. The very sensually depicted lady is dressed in a diaphanous skirt elegantly pleated between the legs. She has three faces, the left of which is a sow's head. Of the attributes in her eight hands, the following are identifiable: Needle and thread in the lowest hands, bow and Ashoka branch in the third and fourth left hands, the vajra in her uppermost right, and a three-pronged arrow in her middle right hand. Next to the main figure the small goddesses Usha and Pratyusha, who have the task to drive away the demons of darkness with arrows. Below the lotus a sun chariot drawn by seven pigs with a makara and a rahu in the center. A small Buddha at the top identifies the stele as a Buddhist sculpture . Measurement: Height 58 cm, width 30 cm, depth 10.5cm. Although the figure has a strong Pala influence, the shape of the leaves of the lotus, the flame bands of the back plate, and the facial expression all point to a possible Orissa origin. Provenance: European private collection. Estimated Shippingcost for this lot: Arrangement after the auction.