NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s unveiled highlights from the March sale of Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art. Led by property from the Cleveland Museum of Art, an institution at the forefront of this field, the spring’s auction features works spanning all mediums – sculpture, miniatures, gilt-bronzes and more. The New York exhibitions open to the public on 9 March, and will remain open until the evening of the 14th, before the auction on 15 March.

PROPERTY FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
Sold to benefit future acquisitions, twelve works of art from the Cleveland Museum of Art headline this season’s sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art. The top lot of the group is a Bronze Group Depicting Shiva Embracing Uma (Alinganamurti) from Southern India, Chola Period 12th Century. Measuring 10 inches in height, the work was first exhibited in 1942 as part of famed Chinese dealer C.T. Loo’s An Exhibition of the Sculpture of Greater India before it was displayed at the Rhode Island School of Design, the San Francisco Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to its distinguished provenance and exhibition history, the sculpture of Shiva and Uma is spectacularly cast, particularly for such a complex work. The pre-sale estimate is $300/500,000.

Additional highlights from this group of property include a Gandharan Seated Buddha, Kushan Period from the first half of the 3rd century in Pakistan (estimate $200/300,000) and a 10th century Parvarti (Consort of Shiva), also of the Chola Period in South India (above left, estimate $150/250,000).

THE LANIER COLLECTION
Approximately 60 works from the Lanier Collection, carefully formed over forty years by a passionate collector of Old Master drawings and Indian paintings, is a wonderful addition to this March sale. Selected for their quality and rarity, many of these classical paintings and drawings of India have not been seen in the market place for decades. Amongst the highlights is an opaque watercolor heighted with gold on paper titled A Yogini Holding a Fan. Painted in India, Deccan, circa 1610-20, this painting is a previously unrecorded depiction of a Yogini from the early 17th century Bijapur – a true discovery. Possibly attributable to Farrukh Husain, a famous Mughal and Persian-trained Deccani artist, this work of art carries an estimate of $15/20,000.

GILT-BRONZE SCULPTURES FROM PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Gilt-bronze sculptures from distinguished European and American private collections are a cornerstone of this season’s offerings. A Large Gilt-Bronze Figure Depicting Buddha Shakyamuni, 14th/15th century Tibet, is a fine example of the confluence of Nepalese and Tibetan aesthetics (estimate $150/200,000). Infused with tremendous power and presence, the figure in bhumisparsha mudra, or earth-touching gesture, is cemented in a state of Enlightenment. A Gilt-Bronze Figure Depicting Tara from 15th Century, Tibet, is a beautiful rendering of a female Bodhisattva who represents success in work and achievement. This 11 ¼ inch figure from a private east coast collection has a pre-sale estimate of $80/120,000.