28th Jun, 2024 11:00
Fine Asian Art Summer Sale
284
A BLACK STONE STELE OF VISHNU, INDIA, RAJASTHAN, 15TH – 16TH CENTURY
Sold for €1,300
including Buyer's Premium
Modeled as four-armed Vishnu standing in samabhanga, dressed in a short dhoti, his main hands holding a shanka and gada, and in his subsidiary hands a chakra and lotus stem, flanked by two female attendants and with a garland to his feet. The face with almond-shaped eyes, wide nose and full lips forming a gentle smile, the face flanked by circular earrings and surmounted by a conical headdress.
Provenance: From a Dutch private collection.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, small chips, few losses, nicks, and scratches, all as expected.
Weight: 2.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 26.1 cm
Expert’s note: Compare the present statue with the design of Maschinenmensch (German for “robot” or literally “machine-person”) in Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis, played by German actress Brigitte Helm in both its robot form and human incarnation. Named “Maria” in the film, and “Futura” in Thea von Harbou’s original novel, she was one of the first robots ever depicted in cinema. Walter Schulze-Mittendorff (1893-1976), the German sculptor and legendary creator of “Maria”, later admitted to having used ancient Indian sculptures and their distinct design compositions and structures as prototypes for his unique and visionary design of Maschinenmensch.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 25 April 2020, lot 449
Price: EUR 8,216 or approx. EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important and rare statue of Vishnu, Rajasthan, 15th-16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving and black stone.
Modeled as four-armed Vishnu standing in samabhanga, dressed in a short dhoti, his main hands holding a shanka and gada, and in his subsidiary hands a chakra and lotus stem, flanked by two female attendants and with a garland to his feet. The face with almond-shaped eyes, wide nose and full lips forming a gentle smile, the face flanked by circular earrings and surmounted by a conical headdress.
Provenance: From a Dutch private collection.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, small chips, few losses, nicks, and scratches, all as expected.
Weight: 2.7 kg
Dimensions: Height 26.1 cm
Expert’s note: Compare the present statue with the design of Maschinenmensch (German for “robot” or literally “machine-person”) in Fritz Lang’s 1927 film Metropolis, played by German actress Brigitte Helm in both its robot form and human incarnation. Named “Maria” in the film, and “Futura” in Thea von Harbou’s original novel, she was one of the first robots ever depicted in cinema. Walter Schulze-Mittendorff (1893-1976), the German sculptor and legendary creator of “Maria”, later admitted to having used ancient Indian sculptures and their distinct design compositions and structures as prototypes for his unique and visionary design of Maschinenmensch.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 25 April 2020, lot 449
Price: EUR 8,216 or approx. EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An important and rare statue of Vishnu, Rajasthan, 15th-16th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving and black stone.
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