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Premium 9. A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE OF SURYA
India, Bengal, Pala period…
9. A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE OF SURYA
India, Bengal, Pala period…
Lot no. 9
Description
9. A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE OF SURYA
India, Bengal, Pala period, 10th century
12.5 cm (4 7/8 in.) high
Surya is identified by two fully bloomed lotuses, symbols of the sun's radiant power. He stands upon a mandala-shaped base forming a chariot, with a tiny charioteer seated at his feet and horses depicted in motion below. Surya is flanked by attendants, while small donor figures and two archers appear on the base. The entire scene is framed within a flaming aureole.
As the solar deity, Surya embodies the source of light and, by extension, life itself. His origins can be traced to the Rigveda, the earliest Indian text, and he shares traits with other ancient traditions that envision the sun as a chariot traversing the sky. His occasional depiction wearing a tunic and high boots reflects links to early Iranian solar cults.
This type of Pala-period bronze later influenced Himalayan depictions of Surya. The robust figures and the pointed apex of the aureole find close parallels in a 10th-century bronze figure of Revanta, the son of the Sun God Surya, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago (acc. no. 1981.641).
Provenance
Sotheby's, Colonnade Oriental Art, London, 20 October 1995, Lot 343
Private Collection, Belgium, acquired from the above;
Thence by descent.
印度 孟加拉 帕拉時期 十世紀 太陽神銅像
來源
蘇富比，Colonnade Oriental Art，倫敦，1995年10月20日，拍品343
比利時私人收藏，購於上者
後由家族傳承
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Catalog
An Important Belgian Collection A Life of Collecting Ancient Worlds
75008 Paris - France
135 premium lots |
139 lots
12/12/2025 : 11:00 AM
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