Eastern India – Pala period Carved black stone Stele in black stone representing Bhairava - 59 cm
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€ 500
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 20,000 - € 25,000
 | €500 | |
|---|---|---|
 | €10 |
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Original black stone stele depicting Bhairava, from Eastern India, Pallā period, late 11th–early 12th century; 59 cm high (60.5 cm with base), about 40 kg, acquired in 2024 from a private Luxembourg collection.
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Description from the seller
Black stone Bhairava Stele – Eastern India, Pala period, late 11th – early 12th century
Important cult stele in black stone depicting Bhairava, a terrible yet protective form of Shiva, made in eastern India at the end of the Pala period, around the late 11th or early 12th century.
The deity is shown standing with a slight bend of the body, a prominent belly and an intensely animated expression. His face, with wide-open eyes, mustache, beard, and a smile revealing the teeth, perfectly conveys the formidable character of Bhairava. His blazing coiffure and abundant adornments further reinforce this fierce iconography.
The principal figure bears several arms and holds various ritual attributes, including a **khadga** or sword, a **khatvanga** or ritual staff, and a shield. He wears a short garment richly worked and numerous ornaments, notably a garland of heads, jewels, and serpent-like elements characteristic of Bhairava’s iconography.
The composition is particularly rich. Bhairava is accompanied by two secondary figures placed on either side, as well as small devotees and donors integrated into the stele’s architecture. Elephants also appear in the side registers. At the upper part, celestial figures frame a large **kirtimukha**, a protective mask placed atop the composition.
The sculpture is distinguished by the depth of relief, the density of the iconographic program, and the quality of the preserved details, especially in the jewelry, hairstyles, attributes, secondary figures, and pedestal ornamentation.
The reverse, left rough, presents a surface fully roughened with numerous visible dressing marks. These elements are an important part of the work’s material reading.
Origin: Eastern India
Period: Pala period, late 11th – early 12th century
Material: black sculpted stone
Height: 59 cm excluding base; 60.5 cm with base
Weight: about 40 kg with base
Base: metal support included
Condition: very good for age. Old wear, visible losses, small chips and nicks, localized concretions, traces of erosion and surface aging, in keeping with the antiquity of the work. The photographs are an integral part of the description and allow precise assessment of the condition.
Provenance: former collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, then passed down to Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg. A signed provenance statement confirming this chain of ownership accompanies the work’s dossier.
Documented comparisons:
A very close black stone Bhairava stele, also attributed to the Pala period and dated to the late 11th – early 12th century, is held at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, under inventory number 2006.71.
Another comparable example of Shiva Bhairava from Bihar and dated to the 11th century is published by Susan L. and John C. Huntington in Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of Pala India (8th–12th centuries) and Its International Legacy, 1990, cat. no. 28.
This work represents a particularly expressive example of eastern Indian religious sculpture under the Pala, combining strong iconographic power, rich narrative, and a commanding sculptural presence.
video Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/uyhhbjaj0qdd1c28yu5yx/AObqN2-l5rE-xH2V-uT7KaY?rlkey=vjlxk131nm9li7vyx90siopcj&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateBlack stone Bhairava Stele – Eastern India, Pala period, late 11th – early 12th century
Important cult stele in black stone depicting Bhairava, a terrible yet protective form of Shiva, made in eastern India at the end of the Pala period, around the late 11th or early 12th century.
The deity is shown standing with a slight bend of the body, a prominent belly and an intensely animated expression. His face, with wide-open eyes, mustache, beard, and a smile revealing the teeth, perfectly conveys the formidable character of Bhairava. His blazing coiffure and abundant adornments further reinforce this fierce iconography.
The principal figure bears several arms and holds various ritual attributes, including a **khadga** or sword, a **khatvanga** or ritual staff, and a shield. He wears a short garment richly worked and numerous ornaments, notably a garland of heads, jewels, and serpent-like elements characteristic of Bhairava’s iconography.
The composition is particularly rich. Bhairava is accompanied by two secondary figures placed on either side, as well as small devotees and donors integrated into the stele’s architecture. Elephants also appear in the side registers. At the upper part, celestial figures frame a large **kirtimukha**, a protective mask placed atop the composition.
The sculpture is distinguished by the depth of relief, the density of the iconographic program, and the quality of the preserved details, especially in the jewelry, hairstyles, attributes, secondary figures, and pedestal ornamentation.
The reverse, left rough, presents a surface fully roughened with numerous visible dressing marks. These elements are an important part of the work’s material reading.
Origin: Eastern India
Period: Pala period, late 11th – early 12th century
Material: black sculpted stone
Height: 59 cm excluding base; 60.5 cm with base
Weight: about 40 kg with base
Base: metal support included
Condition: very good for age. Old wear, visible losses, small chips and nicks, localized concretions, traces of erosion and surface aging, in keeping with the antiquity of the work. The photographs are an integral part of the description and allow precise assessment of the condition.
Provenance: former collection of Yvette Starck, Luxembourg, then passed down to Jacques Grosbusch, Luxembourg. A signed provenance statement confirming this chain of ownership accompanies the work’s dossier.
Documented comparisons:
A very close black stone Bhairava stele, also attributed to the Pala period and dated to the late 11th – early 12th century, is held at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, under inventory number 2006.71.
Another comparable example of Shiva Bhairava from Bihar and dated to the 11th century is published by Susan L. and John C. Huntington in Leaves from the Bodhi Tree: The Art of Pala India (8th–12th centuries) and Its International Legacy, 1990, cat. no. 28.
This work represents a particularly expressive example of eastern Indian religious sculpture under the Pala, combining strong iconographic power, rich narrative, and a commanding sculptural presence.
video Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/uyhhbjaj0qdd1c28yu5yx/AObqN2-l5rE-xH2V-uT7KaY?rlkey=vjlxk131nm9li7vyx90siopcj&dl=0
Seller's Story
MIMOSA SA — EXPERTISE, RESEARCH AND TRANSMISSION
For more than 26 years, I have been working as an art dealer specializing in ancient Asian arts. My work is not simply to offer objects: it is to observe them, to understand them, to study them and to document them before passing them to a new collector.
Each work presented by Mimosa SA undergoes thorough examination. Depending on its nature, this study may concern the iconography, the style, the proportions, the material, the execution techniques, surface traces, patina, the condition, restorations, provenance as well as relevant bibliographic, museum or archaeological comparisons. When justified, additional scientific analyses may also be undertaken.
Our approach rests on the experience of sight, gained from direct contact with the works for over two decades, but also on methodical and constantly renewed research. We always favor a cautious, coherent and argued attribution rather than a seductive but insufficiently substantiated assertion.
Transparency is at the heart of our approach. The wear, gaps, accidents, ancient restorations or more recent interventions are reported as precisely as possible. When an attribution carries uncertainty or remains a working hypothesis, it is clearly presented as such.
Present on Catawiki since 2016, we have chosen to maintain a regular selection of works there in order to meet international collectors who value authenticity, knowledge and quality of documentation.
Each acquisition is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued under our professional responsibility. For the most important works, this certificate takes the form of a genuine study dossier gathering the main technical, stylistic, iconographic, historical and bibliographic observations made during our research.
The same standard applies to shipping. Over the years, we have developed a packaging method adapted to old, fragile, heavy or complex-shaped objects. Each work is protected, immobilized and carefully packaged, according to its material and its particularities. The shipping costs correspond to the real needs for protection, handling, insurance and secure transport. Shipping is never regarded as a source of commercial profit.
Acquiring a work from Mimosa SA is to receive a selected, studied, described, documented and prepared object with the same care that we would wish for a work destined for our own collection.
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
Culture
Eastern India – Pala period
Century/timeframe
Période Pāla, fin du XIe – début du XIIe siècle
Name of object
Stele in black stone representing Bhairava
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2024
Material
Carved black stone
Country acquired from
Luxembourg
Condition
Very good condition considering its age; wear, losses and small old chips, concretions and traces
Previous owner acquired from
Private collection
Height
59 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1990
Width
32 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Luxembourg
Depth
12 cm
I verify that I have obtained this object legally and that I am allowed to sell it
Yes
Authenticity
Original/official
Sold by
Disclaimer
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
The seller was informed by Catawiki about documentation requirements and guarantees the following: - the object was legally obtained, - the seller has the right to sell and/or export the object, as relevant, - the seller will provide the necessary provenance information and arrange required documentation and permits/licenses, as applicable and as per local laws, - the seller will notify the buyer of any delays in obtaining permits/licenses. By bidding, you acknowledge that import documentation may be required depending on your country of residence and that obtaining permits/licenses may cause delays in the delivery of your object.
