New York, 8 March 2012
John Eskenazi, London based art dealer specialising in Indian, Sri Lankan, and South East Asian is presenting his latest acquisitions at the Adam Williams Fine art gallery at 24 East 80th street in New York. He will be presenting the Asian works of art there from 14 to 25 March 2012.
Notable pieces to be included at the exhibition include :
- a stone statue of the goddess Durga, holding a discus in her left hand, dating back to the pre-Khmer era (Kingdom of Funan, modern Cambodia, 7th century). Durga is a legendary figure, a being created by the Hindu gods to fight the demon Mahishasura;
- a head fragment from a stone statue of Buddha, work realized by the sculptors from the Dvaravati kingdom, South Thailand, between the 7th and 9th century;
- a sitting Buddha, from Gandhāra (modern Afghanistan and Pakistan, around the 3rd century) and depicted as above his faithful;
- a brass statuette from the Kathmandu Valley (Nepal) depicting Maitreya, the future Buddha, depicted in the teaching pose, dating back to the Malla era (14th/15th century);
- a sculpture indigenous to the Salt Hills of the Punjab, depicting Narasimha, man-lion, fourth avatar of Vishnu, depicted as a protector. Dating back to a bit after the Gupta Empire (around 7th/8th century). According to Hindu religion, Narasimha killed the evil king Hiranyakashipu, said to be invincible, who threatened to kill his own son, a follower of Vishnu;
- a baked clay head of Buddha, dating back to the 4th/5th century, which has retained some of its original colours;
- a bronze statue dating back to the Angkor Empire (modern Cambodia), 10th century, headless and limbless. Metal sculptures from this era are rare as they were usually melted down after use so as to instil their sacred essence into the following sculptures.