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| Celestial Entertainer |
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| India, Karnataka; Later Chalukyas of Kalyani period, late 11th - early 12th century |
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| Schist (metasiltstone) |
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| H. 39 3/4 in. (101 cm) |
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| Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art |
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| 1979.031 |
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| The tenon on the top of this sculpture of a celestial entertainer playing the cymbals and dancing beneath a tree indicates that it was once a pillar bracket from the interior of a temple. Such decorative brackets were used to disguise the junction between the pillar and the ceiling and were often carved with the auspicious figures of women. This figure's broad shoulders, tiny waist, and full thighs suggest that the sculpture was carved in the region of Mysore in south India. Exuberant detail distinguishes the depiction of both her hair and her jewelry, which consists of necklaces of various lengths, enormous hoop earrings (now broken), armlets, anklets, and a jeweled girdle. |
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