COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
mediaCollectionId
AMICO~1~1
The AMICA Library
Collection
true
AMICA ID:
ASIA.1979.033
amicoid
ASIA.1979.033
AMICA ID
false
AMICA Library Year:
1998
aly
1998
AMICA Library Year
false
Object Type:
Sculpture
oty
Sculpture
Object Type
false
Creator Nationality:
Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
crc
Asian; Indian Sub-Continent; Indian
Creator Nationality
false
Creator Dates/Places:
Western or Central Indian
cdt
Western or Central Indian
Creator Dates/Places
false
Creator Name-CRT:
Western or Central Indian
crt
Western or Central Indian
Creator Name-CRT
false
Title:
Celestial Entertainer
otn
Celestial Entertainer
Title
false
View:
Full view
rid
Full view
View
false
Creation Date:
11th century
oct
11th century
Creation Date
false
Creation Start Date:
1000
ocs
1000
Creation Start Date
false
Creation End Date:
1099
oce
1099
Creation End Date
false
Materials and Techniques:
Sandstone
omd
Sandstone
Materials and Techniques
false
Creation Place:
India, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh
ocp
India, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh
Creation Place
false
Dimensions:
H. 21 1/4 in. (54 cm)
met
H. 21 1/4 in. (54 cm)
Dimensions
false
AMICA Contributor:
Asia Society
oon
Asia Society
AMICA Contributor
false
Owner Location:
New York, New York, USA
oop
New York, New York, USA
Owner Location
false
ID Number:
1979.033
ooa
1979.033
ID Number
false
Credit Line:
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
ooc
Asia Society: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
Credit Line
false
Rights:
orl
<a href="http://www.asiasociety.org"target="_new">http://www.asiasociety.org</a>
Rights
false
Context:
This image of a female celestial entertainer characterizes the style of sculpture produced in 11th-century Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The performer twists dramatically, lifting one hand above her head while placing the other (now missing) at her side. She wears a crown, armlet, earrings, and two heavy necklaces, one long and one short. The girdle of beads around her waist and legs, and the elaborate treatment of her jewelry--seen for example in the dense incised lines representing the folds of her skirt and lavish amount of beads used to make her jewelry--are typical features of 11th-century sculpture in the region. The tree above the woman's head bears fruit, which two small monkeys are eating. This shalabhanjika, the combination of a tree and a woman, is one of most enduring images in India and is used in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain art primarily as a symbol of fertility.
The three-dimensionality of this figure suggests that the sculpture may once have served as a bracket figure for a pillar, probably in the interior of a temple. Entertainers, particularly beautiful women, are among the most common images on Hindu temples. They entertain the gods and designate the area within as a special palace or a heaven, where music and dance are readily available. Figures such as this were placed in subsidiary locations in the temple walls, where they functioned as attendants to the principal images, which are representations of the gods.
cxd
This image of a female celestial entertainer characterizes the style of sculpture produced in 11th-century Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The performer twists dramatically, lifting one hand above her head while placing the other (now missing) at her side. She wears a crown, armlet, earrings, and two heavy necklaces, one long and one short. The girdle of beads around her waist and legs, and the elaborate treatment of her jewelry--seen for example in the dense incised lines representing the folds of her skirt and lavish amount of beads used to make her jewelry--are typical features of 11th-century sculpture in the region. The tree above the woman's head bears fruit, which two small monkeys are eating. This <I>shalabhanjika</I>, the combination of a tree and a woman, is one of most enduring images in India and is used in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain art primarily as a symbol of fertility.<P>The three-dimensionality of this figure suggests that the sculpture may once have served as a bracket figure for a pillar, probably in the interior of a temple. Entertainers, particularly beautiful women, are among the most common images on Hindu temples. They entertain the gods and designate the area within as a special palace or a heaven, where music and dance are readily available. Figures such as this were placed in subsidiary locations in the temple walls, where they functioned as attendants to the principal images, which are representations of the gods.</P>
Context
false
Related Document Description:
Asia Society. Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 19.
rdd
Asia Society. <I>Handbook of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection</I>. New York: Asia Society, [1981], p. 19.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Newman, Richard. The Stone Sculpture of India: A Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from ca. 2nd Century B.C. to the 16th Century. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Art Museums, Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, 1984, pp. 44, 75, 84.
rdd
Newman, Richard. <I>The Stone Sculpture of India: A Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from ca. 2nd Century B.C. to the 16th Century.</I> Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Art Museums, Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, 1984, pp. 44, 75, 84.
Related Document Description
false
Related Document Description:
Queens Museum. Aspects of Indian Art and Life. New York: Queens County Art and Cultural Center, 1983, pp. 18, 22.
rdd
Queens Museum. <I>Aspects of Indian Art and Life.</I> New York: Queens County Art and Cultural Center, 1983, pp. 18, 22.
Related Document Description
false
Related Image Identifier Link:
ASIA.1979.033.a.tif
ril
ASIA.1979.033.a.tif
Related Image Identifier Link
false