Our website features a unique Indian ivory sculpture with a very particular plot, full of many details that require special commentary.
This is a sculpture called "Shiva Parivar" (lot 4102). Shiva ("bringer of happiness") in the Hindu mythology of ancient India is one of the three supreme gods (along with Vishnu and Brahma) who form a divine triad like the Holy Trinity of Christianity.
Shiva also represents the higher cosmic consciousness and static masculinity of the universe, which, together with the opposing dynamic feminine beginning (Prakriti), creates the harmony of the universe.
In ancient Indian culture, Shiva was worshipped as the god of dance and often depicted as a dancer.
The great Shiva is a multi-armed “dancing universe” god, traditionally depicted with a number of invariable attributes, and our sculpture presents the most important of them.
The trident symbolizes three stages of the evolution of the world (creation, maintenance and destruction), three times (past, present and future), a symbol of action, knowledge, awakening.
The cobra coiled around the neck – past, present and future at a given moment; snakes on the hands and feet in the form of bracelets – control of internal energies; a symbol of wisdom and eternity; beads of fruit from evergreen trees – compassion and sorrow towards people.
The triple line of sacred ashes on the forehead, false self-knowledge, the tiger skin on the hips, victory over lust, the loop of the arkan, the symbol of Shiva's power over every living soul, wine, the musical instrument in the form of the lute, signifying the understanding of harmony, the arrow to control the elephant, the image of the "means to achieve the goal", the seeds of the blue cypress in the form of beads on the neck and on the carpet which are revered as sacred.
The symbolic ritual gestures of Shiva's hands (representing wisdom) express the idea of fearlessness, the bestowing of gifts, and benevolence. Finally, the image of absolute masculinity in the universe, embodied by Shiva and traditionally represented by the principal symbol—the phallic lingam—is very subtly conveyed in our sculpture. The very contours of the sculpture, the verticality of the composition, and the shape of the elephant tusk from which it was carved are all associated with the ancient symbol and express this idea.
Of course, Shiva as universal masculinity in ancient Indian philosophy could not be thought of except in a pair with Prakriti (Shakti), who embodied the feminine beginning.
And the sculptor's great work, in all the fullness and brilliance of his skill, embodies these important ideas and representations of ancient India.
Without a doubt, this sculpture was made at a time when the ivory trade was not prohibited, that is, before the 1940 International Convention, as indicated in the sale attribution.
