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HINDU GODDESS
High 13" 3/4 (35,5cm)
with base 16" (41cm)
Width 9" (23cvm)
Red sandstone
Mathura,
Gupta period 5th c CE
INDIA
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The goddess is seated on a double cushion, her two legs fold in a relaxed posture of lalitasana. Out of the four harms of the statue, only two remain and we can recognize the conch that the goddess holds in her bottom left hand. This detail, associated with the tiara she wears on her head, allows us to identify her with the Matrika Vasnavi, personification of the energy of god Vishnu.
Matrika is a Sanskrit generic word for Mother, in its respectful aspect. Then, seven Matrikas embody the energy of the main gods and were generally worshiped in Shhiva's temples.
The features of the goddess, along with the round and supple shape of her body are characteristic of the aesthetic canons of the Gupta empire, which ruled Northern India from the early third to the late fifth century CE.
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