Central Indian Sandstone Torso of a Celestial Beauty

Chandella Period, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan, circa 10th–11th century AD

Carved from a warm reddish sandstone as the upper body of an apsara or surasundari, her serene downcast face framed by neatly waved and beaded hair, her neck wrapped in multiple strands of a beaded necklace that continues in a long pendant cord down the torso, one hand raised to cup her breast in the sensuous gesture typical of Central Indian temple sculpture of the period, and a large circular jeweled ear ornament visible on the reverse profile. The figure's swelling, high-set breasts, gently twisted torso, and softly modeled flesh reflect the idealized canon of feminine beauty developed at temple sites such as Khajuraho, where comparable apsara figures were set into pillar brackets and wall niches as part of extensive sculptural programs, a type well represented by the Rijksmuseum's "Heavenly Beauty" from the Lakshmana Temple. 

Size 8-3/4 in. (22.2 cm) height, excluding base.

Compares closely in scale and treatment with the Christie's "Sandstone Torso of a Celestial Woman," India, Uttar or Madhya Pradesh, circa 11th century (11 in.) sold for 10k+, as well as with the related "Sandstone Torso of a Female Deity," Central India, 10th/11th century, sold at Sotheby's New York in 2015 (lot 1083) sold for 50k!

Provenance Don Buhman, San Francisco, CA.