Provenance:
American Private Collection
Peter Marks Gallery, 1990s
David R. Nalin Collection
Published:
Melissa R. Kerin, Artful Beneficence: Selections from the David R. Nalin Himalayan Art Collection, Rubin Museum of Art, 2009, pp. 14-15, cat. no. 7
Gautama V. Vajracharya, Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual, Rubin Museum of Art, 2016, pp. 135-137, cat. no. 41
Exhibited:
"A Collector's Passion: South Asian Selections from the Nalin Collection," Rubin Museum of Art, New York, June 12-November 9, 2009
"Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual," Rubin Museum of Art, New York, May 6, 2016-March 27, 2017
The broad face is set within a tall, mitre-like crown and surrounded by a dense framework of repoussé ornament. At the base of the crown, a small kirtimukha with a beak-like nose grasps the cloud foliage emerging from its mouth and extending symmetrically to either side. Above it, a large beaded medallion centered by a red stone is encircled by stylized lotus petals, while beads and flame motifs trace the outer edge. Three colored stones punctuate the band above the forehead, and turquoise insets appear in the ornaments beside the ears. Large disk-shaped earrings and an elaborate necklace with floral pendants continue the rich ornament around the head and neck.
Against this elaborate setting, the face is treated in broad, open planes. The half-closed eyes sit beneath long, arched brows, while a horizontal third eye, aquiline nose, and tightly closed lips give the face a calm, composed appearance.
Indra, the Vedic god of rain and king of the heavens, was venerated in both Hindu and Buddhist traditions in the Kathmandu Valley. His tall crown became an established feature of his representation in Nepal and grew increasingly elaborate by the Early Malla period. The broad flange beneath the neck indicates that the head was made for attachment to a larger ritual ensemble.
