Provenance:
Christie's, London, June 19, 1973, no. 77
Belgian Private Collection
Rama stands in a gentle tribhanga, his figure bending slightly at the hips and shoulders. One bent arm cradles the tall bow, while the other extends forward at the waist, holding a bundle of arrows. A high headdress rises above, and large circular earrings frame his face. Several necklaces cross the chest, including a long diagonal upavita, while a girdle encircles the waist and pendant strands of jewelry fall over the thighs.
The carving alternates smoothly-finished surfaces with more deeply-cut passages in the headdress, jewelry, and costume. The face is simply modeled, with arched brows, lowered eyes, and a small mouth.
Rama, the hero of the Ramayana and an incarnation of Vishnu, is identified by his bow and arrows. The tribhanga and elaborate ornament are characteristic of the sculptural tradition of eleventh-century Madhya Pradesh.
