A BRONZE FIGURE OF SHIVA South India, Vijayanagar period, 14th Century

Sotheby's Parke Bernet, New York, 26 October 1974, lot 37.

Wear, patination, oxidation and accretion overall. With losses to proper right secondary forearm and proper left hand. Missing dharma chakra element at back of head.
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.

The large elegantly modeled sculpture depicting the Lord standing in slight contrapposto atop a lotus face upon a raised plinth. He is richly ornamented with multiple necklaces, armbands and an elaborate jeweled girdle fashioned in the form of a kirttimukha. His hips are framed by the swaying sash ties of his short veshti. His face with its slight smile bears an enigmatic expression. His tall jata is ornamented with a jeweled tiara. A crescent moon peeps out of his matted coils on the upper right while a snake hood rests subtly on the left. Shiva’s primary hands which would have held either a vina or a bow and arrow are intact. The secondary hands, now missing, would have held his characteristic attributes  - a leaping antelope and a battle-axe - signifying his ascendancy over man and beast and emphasizing his war-like qualities. Flower blossoms caress his broad shoulders.

Images bearing this iconography have been variously identified as Vinadhara (Player of the Vina) or as Tripuravijaya (Destroyer of three cities). This is because the identifying attributes in the primary hands of the image that would have been separately fashioned and inserted, are now missing. In his form as Vinadhara Dakshinamurti Shiva displays his great yogic powers since mastery over vocal and instrumental music in the Indian Classical tradition is closely linked with control over breath and ultimately mind. As Tripuravijaya – a form that gained much vogue during the late Chola period – Shiva radiates unlimited power for in this form he reduces three cities inhabited by demons to ashes with one flaming arrow. Most importantly, whether as a great yogi or as a great warrior Shiva reminds his devotees of his Omniscience.

For a much earlier but similarly large and sinuously modeled sculpture of Tripuravijaya with consort in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection, see V. Dehejia et al., The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India, New York, 2003, cat. 5, pp. 106-107. The slender proportions, elaborate ornamentation and tall jatamukuta are reminiscent of the present image.