A RED SANDSTONE RELIEF OF SHIVA, 12TH - 13TH CENTURY India, Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh. Finely carved with the four-armed Shiva seated atop Nandi, holding a staff and a vessel in his left hands, wearing a dhoti and beaded jewelry, his face with almond-shaped eyes, full lips and elongated earlobes with earrings, the matted hair, a symbol of his asceticism, piled into the jatamukuta. To his left a ringed column, a vyalaka and an attendant figure.

Provenance: From a noted private collection in Belgium.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, extensive wear and losses, nicks and scratches, signs of erosion and weathering, natural cracks.

Dimensions: Height 58 cm

Literature comparison: Compare a related relief of Shiva at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, museum number M.74.5.6.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related figure of Shiva and Parvati seated atop Nandi at Christie’s New York in Indian and Southeast Asian art on 17 September 2003, lot 25, sold for USD 38,240.