Lot 88A
Southern Asia, India, Gupta Dynasty, ca. 4th to 6th century CE. An intricately carved sandstone relief of Agni, the Hindu god of fire and guardian deity of the southeast direction, depicted standing in a niche flanked by a pair of devis. Surmounted by an ornate design of lotus flowers, the god is portrayed with 3 faces, one for each of his 3 forms - fire, lightning, and the sun - and 4 arms - 3 hands holding a spear, a torch, and a jar, while the fourth gestures a mudra. A long garland is placed behind him, perhaps intended as japamala or prayer beads or a strand of vegetation and fruit symbolizing prosperity. The voluptuous devi stand in their own separate niches, each posed with hips swung toward Agni and draped in flowing sashes as they grasp a lotus flower in one hand. Each of the figures are separated by an architectural column, which also flank the left and right edges of the piece. Size: 4" L x 23.25" W x 21" H (10.2 cm x 59.1 cm x 53.3 cm)
In the classical cosmology of the Indian religions, Agni is one of the five inert impermanent elements (Pancabhuta) along with sky (Akasa), water (Ap), air (Vayu) and earth (Prthvi), the five combining to form the empirically perceived material existence (Prakrti). In the Vedas, Agni is a major and most invoked god along with Indra and Soma. Agni is considered the mouth of the gods and goddesses and the medium that conveys offerings to them in a homa (votive ritual). He is conceptualized in ancient Hindu texts to exist at three levels, on earth as fire, in the atmosphere as lightning, and in the sky as the sun. This triple presence accords him as the messenger between the deities and human beings in the Vedic scriptures. The relative importance of Agni declined in the post-Vedic era, as he was internalized and his identity evolved to metaphorically represent all transformative energy and knowledge in the Upanishads and later Hindu literature. Agni remains an integral part of Hindu traditions, such as being the central witness of the rite-of-passage ritual in traditional Hindu weddings called Saptapadi or Agnipradaksinam(seven steps and mutual vows), in the Upanayana ceremony of rite of passage, as well being part of the diya (lamp) in festivals such as Deepavali and Aarti in Puja.
The Gupta period is sometimes referred to as India's Golden Age, when imperial patronage allowed the arts to flourish; the Gupta period had great influence on subsequent periods, like that of the Pala Empire and Kashmir. Their refined artistic forms are characterized by fluid, almost whimsical carving, with gentle curves and a geometric attention to symmetry and shape. Many of the artists creating sculptures like this came from the monastic complex of Sarnath.
Provenance: private Arizona, USA collection acquired before 1995
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#124072
- Condition: Fragment of a larger piece with chipping to peripheries, as well as weathering and abrasions to raised areas. Otherwise, great presentation and liberal remaining detail. Encrustations in some recessed areas.
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