Northern India – tradition of the Gangetic Valley, probably the Middle Ganges Valley. Terracotta Plaque with a female figure, probably a Yakshi. - 22.5 cm
18
days
10
hours
29
minutes
05
seconds
Current bid
€ 8
Reserve price not met
Expert
Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 2,200 - € 2,700
 | €8 | |
|---|---|---|
| €7 | |
| €6 | |
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A vertical unifacial terracotta plaque depicting a standing, frontal female figure from the late Shunga period of the North Indian Gangetic tradition, likely a Yakṣī, with dimensions 22.5 × 10.5 × 2.5 cm and a weight of 516 g, acquired in 2025 from Belgium and originating from a Belgian private collection.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
Large molded terracotta plaque depicting a standing female figure, probably a Yakṣī, Ancient India, Ganges valley tradition, Shunga period, late 2nd – 1st century BCE.
Beautiful and important vertical-format figurative plaque portraying a standing, frontal woman occupying almost the entire field. The silhouette is characterized by a strongly modeled bosom, a cinched waist, and long legs placed close together. Both arms are drawn back toward the hip and belt region, in a stable and intentionally frontal posture.
The head is topped with an elaborate headdress or circular hair arrangement, clearly set off from the face. Unlike certain famous female plaques from Chandraketugarh and Tamluk, no set of five weapons or distinct ornaments can be identified on this piece; as such, a more specific identification as Panchachuda is not retained.
The accentuated feminine morphology, frontal stance, arm position, and the artistic context allow the figure to be linked to the broad repertoire of Yakṣī and auspicious female deities of ancient India, traditionally associated with fertility, prosperity, and abundance. Identification as a Yakṣī remains proposed with caution in the absence of an absolutely determinative iconographic attribute.
The plaque is executed by uniface molding: the figurative relief is developed on the main face, while the reverse is flat, undecorated, and shows the irregularities characteristic of manual flattening and finishing after pressing the clay into a mold.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the North Indian terracotta traditions and the Ganges valley during the Shunga period. Parallels can be drawn with productions from several major ancient centers, notably Kaushambi, Mathura, Chandraketugarh, and Tamluk. The relatively austere character of the jewelry and coiffure appears, however, closer to some productions of the middle Ganges Valley than to the highly ornate plaques of ancient Bengal. No exact archaeological site is claimed as the definite origin.
The terracotta has a beige-pink to ochre-light tone, with natural surface variations and darker accumulations in some hollows. The most exposed reliefs show a soft, progressive abrasion, while protected areas retain more material and deposits.
State: good overall condition for an ancient terracotta. The plaque is preserved almost entirely, with wear, abrasions, and small peripheral old losses. The face and some body details show more marked erosion, but the composition remains perfectly legible. No major rejoining, no significant reconstruction, and no major restoration are visible in the photographs and video reviewed. Shown on a modern metal base with no visible drilling of the plaque.
Provenance: former private Belgian collection, acquired between 1979 and 2009, then passed down in 2023.
Dimensions without base: 22.5 × 10.5 × 2.5 cm.
Weight: 516 g.
Height with base: 29.5 cm.
No thermoluminescence analysis has been conducted. The proposed attribution and dating rest on stylistic, technical, material, and comparative study of the piece.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3wp3n3oh8nnzcrxasyoy3/ALfs6EOeXjq1XdDeIhv87mo?rlkey=ydlz6ae5z8w1mr5rcv14nyrpc&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 TranslateLarge molded terracotta plaque depicting a standing female figure, probably a Yakṣī, Ancient India, Ganges valley tradition, Shunga period, late 2nd – 1st century BCE.
Beautiful and important vertical-format figurative plaque portraying a standing, frontal woman occupying almost the entire field. The silhouette is characterized by a strongly modeled bosom, a cinched waist, and long legs placed close together. Both arms are drawn back toward the hip and belt region, in a stable and intentionally frontal posture.
The head is topped with an elaborate headdress or circular hair arrangement, clearly set off from the face. Unlike certain famous female plaques from Chandraketugarh and Tamluk, no set of five weapons or distinct ornaments can be identified on this piece; as such, a more specific identification as Panchachuda is not retained.
The accentuated feminine morphology, frontal stance, arm position, and the artistic context allow the figure to be linked to the broad repertoire of Yakṣī and auspicious female deities of ancient India, traditionally associated with fertility, prosperity, and abundance. Identification as a Yakṣī remains proposed with caution in the absence of an absolutely determinative iconographic attribute.
The plaque is executed by uniface molding: the figurative relief is developed on the main face, while the reverse is flat, undecorated, and shows the irregularities characteristic of manual flattening and finishing after pressing the clay into a mold.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the North Indian terracotta traditions and the Ganges valley during the Shunga period. Parallels can be drawn with productions from several major ancient centers, notably Kaushambi, Mathura, Chandraketugarh, and Tamluk. The relatively austere character of the jewelry and coiffure appears, however, closer to some productions of the middle Ganges Valley than to the highly ornate plaques of ancient Bengal. No exact archaeological site is claimed as the definite origin.
The terracotta has a beige-pink to ochre-light tone, with natural surface variations and darker accumulations in some hollows. The most exposed reliefs show a soft, progressive abrasion, while protected areas retain more material and deposits.
State: good overall condition for an ancient terracotta. The plaque is preserved almost entirely, with wear, abrasions, and small peripheral old losses. The face and some body details show more marked erosion, but the composition remains perfectly legible. No major rejoining, no significant reconstruction, and no major restoration are visible in the photographs and video reviewed. Shown on a modern metal base with no visible drilling of the plaque.
Provenance: former private Belgian collection, acquired between 1979 and 2009, then passed down in 2023.
Dimensions without base: 22.5 × 10.5 × 2.5 cm.
Weight: 516 g.
Height with base: 29.5 cm.
No thermoluminescence analysis has been conducted. The proposed attribution and dating rest on stylistic, technical, material, and comparative study of the piece.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3wp3n3oh8nnzcrxasyoy3/ALfs6EOeXjq1XdDeIhv87mo?rlkey=ydlz6ae5z8w1mr5rcv14nyrpc&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
Northern India – tradition of the Gangetic Valley, probably the Middle Ganges Valley.
Century/timeframe
Fin du IIe – Ier siècle av. J.-C. Horizon Shunga tardif / Early Historic
Name of object
Plaque with a female figure, probably a Yakshi.
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2025
Material
Terracotta
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
22.5 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1979
Width
10.5 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
2.5 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.
