154-155 / 176
155
154
80
CORONATION OF RAMA
KERALA, CIRCA 18
TH
CENTURY
Wood
30.5 in (78 cm) wide
Rs 3,00,000 ‒ 4,00,000
$ 4,480 - 5,975
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
The Rumi Mistry Collection, Mumbai
This carved lintel depicts the pomp and celebration
of Rama’s coronation as king of Ayodhya, following his
fourteen‒year exile. Two
rishis
or priests with pitchers are
seen pouring holy water on Rama, seated in the centre
with Sita to his left, to mark this auspicious occasion.
They are surrounded by musicians and well‒wishers. The
carving is all the more remarkable for its intricate detailing.
The details of the musical instruments, the jewellery, the
folds of the clothes and the expressions on their faces are
masterfully captured.
79
SURASUNDARI
TAMIL NADU, CIRCA 17
TH
CENTURY
Wood
29 in (74.4 cm) high
Rs 3,00,000 ‒ 4,00,000
$ 4,480 - 5,975
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
PROVENANCE
The Rumi Mistry Collection, Mumbai
This door jamb captures Surasundari in all her sensuality.
She is finely decked in jewellery, with the soft flow of her
sash and garments accentuating her beauty. Surasundari,
the “beautiful woman,” is believed to have emerged from
the churning of the cosmic ocean. “The Surasundari is first
and foremost
prakriti
or materiality, endowed with sensual
beauty and like
prakriti
, she is also the abode of growth and
fertility which she shares with the world of nature around
her.” (Harsha V Deheja, “Beautiful Woman,”
The Times of
India,
9 January 2012, online) Surasundari embodies the
fertile, the auspicious, the graceful and the sensual, and
is believed to bring with her these qualities through her
depiction in temple sculpture.