Ivory Throne Leg

Historical period(s)
Eastern Ganga dynasty, 13th century
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
H x W x D: 34.9 x 15.7 x 13.2 cm (13 3/4 x 6 3/16 x 5 3/16 in)
Geography
India, Orissa
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1907.8
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Furniture and Furnishing
Type

Throne leg

Keywords
Eastern Ganga dynasty (700 - 1299), elephant, India, lion
Provenance

To 1907
Spink & Son Ltd., London, to 1907 [1]

From 1907 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Spink & Son Ltd. in 1907 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 933, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Spink & Son Ltd. (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Label

Since at least the second century, Indian sculptors created ivory thrones to proclaim royal command. On this splendidly carved throne leg, a gajasimha--a mythical creature combining the strength of an elephant (gaja) and a lion (simha)--calmly dispatches the demonic warrior dangling from its trunk. The sculptor contrasted the forceful curves and broad smooth surfaces of the elephant-lion with an intricately realized mountain landscape. Archers and wildlife gambol through its crags, while a hermit meditates and a lion slumbers.

Published References
  • Capolavori nei secoli: Enciclopedia di tutte i popoli in tutti i tempi. 12 vols., Milan, 1961 - 1964. vol. 3: p. 194.
  • Aschwin Lippe. The Freer Indian Sculptures. Oriental Studies Series, no. 8 Washington, 1970. pl. 41-47.
  • Dr. Stella Kramrisch. Early Indian Ivory Carving. vol. 54, no. 261 Philadelphia, Spring 1959. pp. 55-56, fig. 4-8.
  • (Forward) Pupul Jayakar. Festival of India in the United States, 1985-1986. New York. p. 62.
  • Ideals of Beauty: Asian and American Art in the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Thames and Hudson World of Art London and Washington, 2010. pp. 104-105.
  • George Frederick Kunz. Ivory and the Elephant in Art, in Archaeology, and in Science. Garden City, New York. p. 108.
  • Raman Sukumar. The Story of Asia's Elephants. India. p. 163, fig. 6.35.
  • J.E. van Lohuizen-Leeuw. Indian ivories with special reference to a mediaeval throne leg from Orissa. vol. 6. pp. 195-216.
Collection Area(s)
South Asian and Himalayan Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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