λ A CARVED AND POLYCHROME-PAINTED IVORY FEMALE FIGURE
PROPERTY FROM THE LATE OLIVER HOARE COLLECTION
Orissa, Eastern India, 18th century

The figurine carved in the round, standing up straight on a stepped lotus pedestal intricately carved in a fashion reminiscent of temple steps and platforms, the figurine showcasing a toned hour-glass-shaped naked body with overly-rounded breasts, the polychrome-painted face enhanced with bulging almond eyes, plump red lips, dark hair and heavy flower-shaped earrings, 20cm high.

Provenance: With Jean-Claude Ciancimino (1931-2015), London;
Acquired by Sven Gahlin in 1969, London;
Purchased in The Sven Gahlin Collection, Sotheby's London, 6 October 2015, lot 135, and in a private London collection since.

A polychrome-painted ivory figurine of almost the same height of ours, attributed to Parvati and produced in Madurai, was successfully sold at Christie's London, 26 May 2016, lot 87. Both centres (Tamil Nadu and Orissa) are well-known for their refined and skillful ivory carvings, normally focusing on the traditional religious characters of the Hindu pantheon. Here the symmetrical frontal stance is clearly derived from ancient Jain stone sculptures of the Tirthankaras, which can be seen both in North Western Indian temples and in the rock-cut walls of the Udayagiri caves in Orissa.

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