Lot 278
  • 278

Sambandar Copper alloy South India, Chola Period

Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 USD
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Description

  • Sambandar
  • Copper alloy
  • height 18 in. (45.7 cm)
The child saint Sambandar depicted in ecstatic dance, standing on one leg upon a lotus pedestal placed atop a plinth, his body gently leaning to the left, his face askance, his left arm extended in dolahastamudra balancing his body, his right palm held in front with fingers pointing upward, unclad except for his jewelry including bracelets, armbands, necklaces and girdle of suspended bells (kinkini) that sways with his movement, his hair piled in a tall jatamukata secured by a crown with a siraschakra attached at the back of the head.

Provenance

Christie's London, December 11, 1973, lot 164 
Vasundhara Gallery, Switzerland, December 1975

Condition

Excellent overall condition. Minor accretion throughout.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Saint Sambandar is among the most famous of the nayanmars, a group of sixty-three Shaivite saints who are widely venerated in South India. These holy men traveled throughout the land singing hymns in praise of Lord Shiva, and their songs and poems form a rich corpus of devotional literature constituting the core of the Tamil sacred canon. Reputed to have lived in the seventh century, Sambandar was the son of Brahmins. According to legend, his father returned from a ritual bath in the temple tank one day to find the previously hungry and crying child playing contentedly with a golden cup while milk trickled from his mouth. In answer to his father's bewilderment, the child pointed upwards to the image of Shiva and Parvati that was carved on the temple tower and burst into joyous song in praise of the Divine Couple. The incident forms the basis of Sambandar's iconography.

The creation of bronze images for the purpose of worship began in the 8th Century during the Pallava period and reached an artistic apogee under the patronage of the Chola monarchs. Chola bronzes were made of by ciré perdue or lost wax process. Besides the skill required in casting, Chola craftsman perfected the harmony of line and form in these images, as well as a vibrant sense of movement as witnessed in the present sculpture. The plump and pleasing proportions of the child saint in the present image bears an immediate realism, while his serene, idealized countenance imparts a sense of divinity.

For a bronze Sambandar from a similar period, see V. Dehejia et al., The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India, New York, London & Seattle, 2002, pp. 197-199, cat. 51, although the current work is imbued with greater movement and elaborate embellishments in ornamentation.