Ancient India – Bengal, the Chandraketugarh tradition Terracotta Yakṣī and assistant plaque – terracotta - 13 cm
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Selected by Peter Reynaers
Has nearly 30 years’ experience and moderated multiple online art research groups.
Estimate € 2,000 - € 2,500
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Terracotta plaque from Chandraketugarh in ancient Bengal, depicting a frontal Yakṣī with a smaller assistant, dating to the 2nd–1st century BCE, acquired from a Belgian private collection in 2025 and mounted on a modern metal base in good condition.
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Description from the seller
Beautiful terracotta plaque from ancient Bengal representing a prominent richly adorned female figure, accompanied by a smaller assistant.
The composition belongs to the characteristic repertoire of Chandraketugarh terracottas, one of the great artistic centers of ancient Bengal. The main figure, depicted frontally, wears a monumental hairstyle, numerous jewels, a multi-tiered wide belt, and a finely rhythmic garment. Her ornamental richness and dominant placement allow her, with caution, to be identified as a Yakṣī or a semi-divine female figure.
To her right stands a second woman, intentionally represented at a smaller scale according to a well-documented hierarchical principle in Chandraketugarh plaques. This reading helps discard the older interpretation of “mother and child”: the small figure has an adult morphology, with clearly indicated chest, waist, belt, and garment.
The plaque was made using a unifacial mold, a technique typical of this production: the entire scene is concentrated on the front face, while the rear is flat and simply polished. This method of manufacture allowed for the diffusion of highly elaborate compositions, while preserving great precision in hairstyle, jewelry, and costume details.
The best parallels are found in the series of Yakṣī and female figures with assistants from Chandraketugarh, dated to the Śuṅga period. The overall stylistic and technical criteria lead to a proposed dating to the 2nd–1st century BCE, probably around 150–50 BCE.
The piece retains good legibility despite its age: natural wear of the reliefs, small marginal losses, and ancient deposits in recessed areas. It is presented on a modern metal plinth.
Provenance: former Belgian private collection, formed between 1979 and 2009, then passed by succession in 2023.
Dimensions without base: 13 × 8 × 1.7 cm.
Weight without base: 217.6 g.
Total height with base: 17 cm.
No thermoluminescence testing has been carried out. Attribution is based on material, technical, stylistic, and comparative examination of the work.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/dntlcw8ptc5hyhqnbpfsy/AF_bQGEGua0rnivsl1HuaLU?rlkey=csc5rk8bfj5quaog00bhpfpq8&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 TranslateBeautiful terracotta plaque from ancient Bengal representing a prominent richly adorned female figure, accompanied by a smaller assistant.
The composition belongs to the characteristic repertoire of Chandraketugarh terracottas, one of the great artistic centers of ancient Bengal. The main figure, depicted frontally, wears a monumental hairstyle, numerous jewels, a multi-tiered wide belt, and a finely rhythmic garment. Her ornamental richness and dominant placement allow her, with caution, to be identified as a Yakṣī or a semi-divine female figure.
To her right stands a second woman, intentionally represented at a smaller scale according to a well-documented hierarchical principle in Chandraketugarh plaques. This reading helps discard the older interpretation of “mother and child”: the small figure has an adult morphology, with clearly indicated chest, waist, belt, and garment.
The plaque was made using a unifacial mold, a technique typical of this production: the entire scene is concentrated on the front face, while the rear is flat and simply polished. This method of manufacture allowed for the diffusion of highly elaborate compositions, while preserving great precision in hairstyle, jewelry, and costume details.
The best parallels are found in the series of Yakṣī and female figures with assistants from Chandraketugarh, dated to the Śuṅga period. The overall stylistic and technical criteria lead to a proposed dating to the 2nd–1st century BCE, probably around 150–50 BCE.
The piece retains good legibility despite its age: natural wear of the reliefs, small marginal losses, and ancient deposits in recessed areas. It is presented on a modern metal plinth.
Provenance: former Belgian private collection, formed between 1979 and 2009, then passed by succession in 2023.
Dimensions without base: 13 × 8 × 1.7 cm.
Weight without base: 217.6 g.
Total height with base: 17 cm.
No thermoluminescence testing has been carried out. Attribution is based on material, technical, stylistic, and comparative examination of the work.
video link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/dntlcw8ptc5hyhqnbpfsy/AF_bQGEGua0rnivsl1HuaLU?rlkey=csc5rk8bfj5quaog00bhpfpq8&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
Ancient India – Bengal, the Chandraketugarh tradition
Century/timeframe
IIe–Ier siècle av. J.-C. | Période Śuṅga, probablement vers 150–50 av. J.-C.
Name of object
Yakṣī and assistant plaque – terracotta
Acquired from
Private collection
Year acquired
2025
Material
Terracotta
Country acquired from
Belgium
Condition
Good
Previous owner acquired from
Gallery / Antique dealer
Height
13 cm
Previous owner - year acquired
1979
Width
8 cm
Previous owner - country acquired from
Belgium
Depth
1.7 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.
