48-49 / 186
20
TORSO
Terracotta
1
st
‒ 2
nd
Century
Kushan Dynasty
Uttar Pradesh
Height: 3.5 in (8.9 cm)
$545 ‒ 815
Rs 40,000 ‒ 60,000
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
This lot is offered at NO RESERVE
PROVENANCE
From the collection of a renowned art historian
Saffronart, 25 ‒ 26 April 2012, lot 33
Terracotta is one of the earliest mediums in which sculptures
were made. The oldest examples of terracotta sculpture
date to 3,000 BC, and were found in Mohenjo‒Daro in
the Sindh region, and Harappa in the Punjab. Although
terracotta refers to baked clay objects, Indian craftsmen
were also known for having modelled unfired clay images
that dissolved when immersed in water. In India, artisans
crafted clay by modelling, as well as with the use of moulds.
The use of moulds implies an advanced understanding of
the medium, codified iconography, and mass consumption,
which in turn implies that it was an integral aspect of
people’s lives in various forms. One of the important centres
of the terracotta sculpting tradition was Kaushambi in Uttar
Pradesh, where pieces such as the present lot would likely
have been in demand among city‒dwellers as an object of
beauty and sophistication.
48
49