Sri Lakshmi (Srî Laksmî) Kingdom of Vijayanagar... Lot 95

Sri Lakshmi (Srî Laksmî) Kingdom of Vijayanagar Southern India, (probably Karnataka), ca 15th century Copper alloy. H. 65 cm This beautiful sculpture of Vishnu's consort was originally intended to stand to the right of her husband in a classical triad, as a counterpart to another aspect of herself associated with the earth, Bhudevi. She is depicted standing in the attitude of triple inflexion (tribhanga) with her right arm hanging down the body while following its sinuous curves. The raised left hand holds a lotus fleur. A goddess of wealth, love, beauty, joy and prosperity, she is richly adorned with intricate jewelry, armbands, bracelets, necklaces, belts. Her pleated garment is engraved with traditional floral designs seeking to replicate their embroidery. Her headdress is arranged in a high karandamukuta supported by a crown at the base. Small visible accidents, the beautiful surface polish shows a long veneration. Even if the general form and the ornaments echo the aesthetics of the previous Chola dynasty, this work is part of a different aesthetic, less ethereal in the treatment of the body and therefore more naturalistic while respecting the canons of Indian female beauty. This new aesthetic is probably related to the new Vijayanagara dynasty founded in 1336, which took its name from its capital in Karnataka, the centre of which corresponds to the ruined site of Hampi today. It is said to have been a very wealthy city, mainly due to trade, according to travellers' accounts of the time. Some scholars believe that it must have been the second most important city in the world after Beijing until it was looted and abandoned after the victory of the coalition of Muslim sultanates at the Battle of Talikota in 1565. This remarkable sculpture is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished in the corpus attributable to the Vijayana period. It stands out clearly from a large number of contemporary works produced in the various provinces of the empire, which are often only more or less accomplished replicas of archetypes from the Chola period. It must have been made in a workshop in the capital for an important patron during the heyday of the dynasty, either in the late fourteenth or fifteenth century. This beautiful sculpture of Vishnu's consort was originally intended to stand to the right of her husband in a classical triad, as a counterpart to another aspect of herself associated with the earth, Bhudevi. She is depicted standing in the attitude of triple inflexion (tribhanga) with her right arm hanging down the body while following its sinuous curves. The raised left hand holds a lotus fleur. A goddess of wealth, love, beauty, joy and prosperity, she is richly adorned with intricate jewelry, armlets, bracelets, necklaces, belts. Her pleated garment is engraved with traditional floral patterns seeking to replicate their embroidery. Her headdress is arranged in a high karandamukuta supported by a crown at the base. Small visible accidents, the beautiful surface polish shows a long veneration. Even if the general form and the ornaments echo the aesthetics of the previous Chola dynasty, this work is part of a different aesthetic, less ethereal in the treatment of the body and therefore more naturalistic while respecting the canons of Indian female beauty. This new aesthetic is probably related to the new Vijayanagara dynasty founded in 1336, which took its name from its capital in Karnataka, the center of which corresponds to the ruined site of Hampi today. The accounts of travelers of the time describe it as a city of great wealth, mainly due to trade. Some scholars believe that it must have been the second most important city in the world after Beijing until it was looted and abandoned after the victory of the coalition of Muslim sultanates at the Battle of Talikota in 1565. This remarkable sculpture is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished among the corpus attributable to the Vijayanagara period. It stands out clearly from a large number of contemporary works produced in the various provinces of the empire, which are often nothing more than more or less accomplished replicas of archetypes from the Chola period. It must have been made in a workshop in the capital for an important patron at the time of the dynasty's apogee, either in the late fourteenth or fifteenth century. Provenance : - Former French private collection - Taoufik Bendahou Collection (Paris) - Acquired from the latter by its current owner Pour enchérir sur ce lot, merci de vous enregistrer auprès de Clara Golbin à l’étude : c.golbin@cornette-saintcyr.com Aucune enchère ne sera acceptée sur le Live. Une consignation est exigée pour enchérir sur ce lot. In order to bid on this lot, please contact Clara Golbin to register : c.golbin@cornette-saintcyr.com . Online bidding by Live will not be possible. A deposit is required to bid on this lot. 如閣下欲競件拍品，請與本拍賣行聯繫，辦理相關競投手續。本件拍品不參與網絡競拍。需要 欧元的押金才能对此出价。 請發送此郵件完成註冊： c.golbin@cornette-saintcyr.com