Sarasvati. Marble figure. Gahadaval. 12th Century. New Delhi, National Museum.
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Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Gahadavala sculpture is developed mainly from 9th century Pratihara art which was a masterfully refined style built up from late Gupta traditions. Idols were often made of precious materials and set with diamonds or overlaid with gold. Court art was in the finest of the aristocratic veins, but not always imbued with a genuine religiosity. Spectacle was most important for displaying divine images rather than the preservation of humble but sacred spiritual images. When the Moslems entered India and destroyed most of the idols, they brought home some of these priceless cult figures, which are comparable to the booty captured by the Spanish from the Aztecs. Sarasvati, consort of Brahma, is rendered in a beautifully light colored marble in this example. Her refined gentle face and delicate frame are in soft contrast to the glittering jewelry and fine garments she wears. In her hands are her best attributes: the lotus, manuscript of prayers, rosary, and water vessel.
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Basham Collection
Date created
circa 1970s
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This item is provided for research purposes. Contact the Australian National University Archives at butlin.archives@anu.edu.au for permission to use.
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