This spring, Rossi & Rossi presents extraordinary stone sculptures, bronzes and paintings from China, India, Nepal and Tibet at TEFAF Maastricht, the world’s leading fine art and antiques event. The fair will be held at the Maastricht Exhibition and Conference Centre (MECC) from 9 to 19 March 2023, and the gallery’s offerings can be found at Stand 130.
Central to the presentation are important Himalayan sculptures from the late Greek collector Leonidas Goulandris. Highlights include a rare fourteenth-century Vasudeva-Kamalaja from Nepal. This finely rendered figure depicts a composite image of Vishnu (on the proper right) and Lakshmi (on the proper left). Such unique iconographic composites were technically challenging to produce, as they required the artist to capture two deities in one cohesive form. The present sculpture exemplifies the bold, yet graceful, corporeal sensibility of early Malla (1220–1769 CE) works, which was achieved by contrasting the powerful frontal stance with the soft rendering of a physique that is at once substantial and languid. The elegant features, combined with the masterful illusion of a supple surface, make this example a classic illustration of Newari craftsmanship.
A powerful seventeenth-century bronze of Durga from the Malla dynasty is also on offer. This sculpture depicts the goddess as her avatar, Mahishasuramardini, in a triumphant pose slaying the buffalo demon, Mahisha. The commanding sculpture artfully combines the dynamic with the static. The goddess’s powerful stance and fan of eighteen arms are balanced by her otherwise delicate features and calm expression after having chopped off the bull’s head. Mahisha, the demonic demigod, emerges from the animal’s body, whilst Durga, his vanquisher, brandishes a kapala (skull-cup) and a sword in two of her hands. Her diminutive lion mount roars menacingly at her right foot, as the left hind leg of the defeated buffalo arches upwards in anguish. The iconography represents the supreme expression of the power of this goddess, commonly referred to as ‘the Unassailable’ or ‘the Unconquerable’.
In addition, the Leonidas Goulandris Collection includes outstanding stone sculptures, such as the eighth-century rendering of a River Goddess from North India. According to local folklore, two of India’s great sacred rivers, the Ganges and the Yamuna, were personified as eponymous goddesses. They were often represented at either side of the lower part of temple doorways, so that worshippers could enter the building feeling symbolically cleansed by the sight of them. In the present example, a river goddess, probably Yamuna, stands in graceful tribhanga position, a classical standing pose in which the body bends in three directions, whilst her male attendant stands to her left holding a lotus blossom. She wears a transparent dhoti and is adorned by an extravagant knotted belt amongst other jewels. An elaborate large-leafed lotus vine rises above the two figures, acting as a parasol.
A red-sandstone sculpture of Vishnu from Madhya Pradesh is another highlight. Made in the fifth century during the Gupta dynasty, the deity is represented as a princely figure wearing a crown, garland and jewellery. This sculpture of Vishnu portrays the god standing in samabhanga, a serene, balanced standing pose, with the soft but athletic physique typical of Indian representations of divine males. As with other early sculptures of Vishnu, this figure once had four arms: two in front, holding a lotus seed and a conch shell, and two in back. The distinctive red sandstone was a favourite material of North and Central Indian sculptors for centuries.
Apart from the exceptional gems of the Leonidas Goulandris Collection, Rossi & Rossi is pleased to have on view an impressive Avalokiteshvara sculpted in phyllite from the Pala period (11th–12th century CE). In this elaborate work, a youthful Sudhana is positioned to the right of the central deity and the plump figure of Hayagriva is to the left. The wrathful characteristics of Hayagriva are depicted in great detail, including wide-open eyes, furrowed eyebrows, a broad nose and protruding fangs, as well as a shock of hair standing up like flames. Buddhist steles from the mature Pala period with such a wealth of decoration across the entire surface usually come either from the Munger or Bhagalpur districts in Bihar or from Bengal. A preserved figure of Amitabha sits at the apex of the stele surrounded by other Tathagatas: Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya and Amoghasiddhi. On the base, beneath the wish-granting right hand of Avalokiteshvara, is the kneeling figure of a denizen of hell.
The exceptional works presented by Rossi & Rossi at TEFAF Maastricht 2023 represent the high level of craftsmanship achieved by Himalayan artists, from the steppes of the Tibetan Plateau to the heartland of the Indian subcontinent
