Sculpture is one of the oldest expressions of human artistic activity. Alongside painting, which first appeared in the Paleolithic on the walls of caves, sculpture has accompanied humanity for thousands of years as a way of depicting gods, forces of nature, people, and animals. From the earliest times, humans carved in stone, clay, and bone. Later came bronze, which, though invented relatively late, became firmly established as a canonical sculptural material.
From a collector’s perspective, sculpture offers the same advantages as painting. It is a work of art whose number is limited. It is durable. It is beautiful. It can be functional, symbolic, or purely decorative. And if it bears a great name, or originates from a specific epoch or region, it also acquires strong investment value. The same principle applies here: what is old and of quality can only grow in worth. What exists today from the past is all that will ever exist. The market is shrinking, museums continue to acquire, and private collections increase in value.
Apsara / Surasundari, marble, India, 19th century.
The sculpture depicts Apsara (heavenly nymph) or Surasundari (heavenly beauty), personifying the perfection of divine creation, joy and prosperity. The figure's face is characterized by full, round cheeks and a prominent chin. Almond-shaped eyes with well-defined eyelids are devoid of notched pupils. The face exudes a gentle, puzzled smile. The hair above the forehead has been carved into thick strands. Above them rises a stepped crown (mukut) with a structure decorated with concentric arches and geometric reliefs imitating pearls, topped with a floral bud. The figure wears a close-fitting skirt, with smooth sides and a deeply pleated front, expanding cup-like around the feet. A triple-length necklace flows over the chest and hips. A traditional epaulet (Bayuband) with geometric ornament is preserved on the broken off left shoulder. The figure is framed in a dancing and sensual twist of the body, which is a development of the classical Tribhang pose. The profile of the sculpture shows the forward extension of the abdomen and the retreat of the back line, which gives the composition fluidity and dynamism. The body of the sculpture was conceived exclusively for frontal and side display. The back of the figure and the back of the nimbus shield are completely flat, austere and devoid of details - this plane was directly adjacent to the wall or pillar of the temple.
Dimensions: 35 cm (height) x 10 cm (width) x 7 cm (depth)
Weight: 2.6 kg
Brahma, marble, India, 19th century.
Marble sculpture depicting Brahma - the Hindu creator god and personification of cosmic wisdom, belonging to the Trimurti trinity alongside Vishnu and Shiva. The deity has four faces (Caturmukha), which, according to iconography, should face the four sides of the world. In the case of the sculpture on offer, the representation is simplified and the faces are laid out in an arc against a smooth, semicircular wall (stele) from which the figure emerges - two to the left of the central face and one to the right. They symbolize omniscience and the four Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. The figure is depicted in a seated position with one leg on the ground and the other placed on the seat, perpendicular to the body. Brahma has two pairs of hands, in keeping with classical iconography. One pair of hands rests on his knees. In his hand, the deity holds a sphere, interpreted as a symbol of the earth or the entire cosmos and referring to the act of creation and the order of the world. The other pair of hands is raised to shoulder height and holds other attributes, but due to the simplified form their identification is uncertain. The whole work is characterized by a compact body and simplicity of form, sparing details, which gives the work an austere character.
Dimensions: 24 cm (height) x 15 cm (width) x 7 cm (depth)
Weight: 4.75 kg
Brahma, marble, India, 19th century.
A marble sculpture depicting Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, associated with knowledge, wisdom, and the act of creating the world, who is part of the Trimurti trinity alongside Vishnu and Shiva. The deity is depicted in a seated position with crossed legs on a high pedestal. The depiction deviates from the classical iconographic scheme of Caturmukha (four faces), showing Brahma with six faces: five arranged in a fan-like pattern in an arc around the central face, and the sixth located at the back of the head. The multitude of faces emphasizes the deity’s omniscience and omnipresence. Brahma is depicted with four arms, in accordance with classical iconography. The lower pair rests on his knees; in one hand, the deity holds a sphere interpreted as a symbol of the world or the cosmos, and in the other, a rosary (akṣamālā), symbolizing knowledge, meditation, and the passage of time. The upper pair of hands, raised at the sides of the head, holds attributes whose identification is difficult due to the schematic nature of the sculpture. The figure is set against a background of an arched frame with a pointed arch. At the base of the composition, an image of a bird has been carved, likely a hamsa (sacred goose or swan), Brahma’s traditional mount. The whole is characterized by a compact, frontal composition and restrained modeling.
Dimensions: 32 cm (height) x 17.5 cm (width) x 6.5 cm (depth)
Weight: 7 kg
Bust of Krishna, marble, India, 19th century.
The sculpture depicts a bust of the deity, identified as Krishna - one of the most popular incarnations of the god Vishnu. The figure is characterized by idealized facial features with a gentle, meditative expression. The delicate, barely defined smile (so-called archaic) and wide, almond-shaped eyes with well-defined eyebrows are typical of Rajasthani art. The proportions convey the youthful grace of the deity (bala-rupa). The deity's head is adorned with a tall, richly carved Kiritamukuta-type crown. It consists of several tiers: a lower band imitating a string of pearls or beads, a middle band with a braided motif, and a finial with floral, rosette-like decorations. On the left profile of the crown (just above the ear) a vertical carved element is visible. It is a stylized peacock feather (Mayur Pankh) - a key and unique attribute of Krishna, symbolizing the beauty of creation and divine royalty. The figure's neck is adorned with a wide, close-fitting necklace (kanthamala). Thick, stylized strands of hair fall from the sides of the head, and traditional large earrings (kundala) are visible in the ears.
Dimensions: 23 cm (height) x 13 cm (width) x 12 cm (depth)
Weight: 5 kg
Capital with Figural Decoration, Sandstone, France, 12th-14th Century
Cylindrical stone capitol, decorated with carved representations of male faces with mustaches and nude female figures. The top edge decorated with a band of ornaments. The interior is deeply grooved. The surface of the object bears clear traces of use - deposits and wax residues are visible. The style of the sculpture refers to Romanesque or early Gothic architecture.
Christ Salvator Mundi, polychrome wood, Poland, 19th century.
Wooden sculpture depicting Christ as Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World), made in Poland in the 19th century. An example of folk Baroque sculpture, combining a religious theme with a simple, legible form. The full-plastic, frontal figure shows a young Jesus in a gesture of blessing, with a globe in his left hand.
The figure is dressed in a white tunic and blue coat with yellow piping. Remnants of the original polychrome and natural traces of use are visible. The simplified modeling, linear folds and expressive face indicate a folk workshop from southern Poland, representing the late Baroque tradition of devotional sculpture.
Deity or bodhisattva, marble, India, 19th century.
The sculpture depicts a seated figure, shown in a meditative pose and a gesture of prayer. The figure sits on a simple pedestal, with her hands folded at chest level. Her head is crowned with a diadem. The whole is characterized by a compact body, synthetic, schematic form and highly simplified details, which gives the work an austere character. The structure of the sculpture is compact - the spaces between the arms and torso and under the line of the legs have not been fully openworked, but left in a solid mass of stone. Due to this schematic form and the lack of unambiguous attributes, the identification of the figure remains uncertain. It may be a simplified representation of a Buddha, bodhisattva (a being striving for enlightenment in the Buddhist tradition) or other Hindu deity, shown in a state of meditation/prayer.
Dimensions: 20.5 cm (height) x 11.5 cm (width) x 6.5 cm (depth)
Weight: 2.1 kg
Gallo-Roman male portrait head, marble, Roman Empire, Province of Gaul (area of modern France), 1st-3rd century after Chr.
A unique example of provincial stone sculpture from the heyday of the Roman Empire. Executed in white marble, the head depicts an individualized male portrait, a textbook example of the fusion of official Roman realism with local Gallic artistic expression. The face is characterized by a crude, geometric synthesis of form. A long, straight nose connects directly to a well-defined, severe eyebrow arch (the so-called Greco-Roman profile), giving the whole a monumental expression. The large, almond-shaped, convex eyes have no cut eyelids or pupils, which firmly places the object in post-Celtic sculptural traditions and the local votive art. The sculpture directly alludes to austere, hieratic representations of deities and heroes from the Celtic tradition.
The object is set on a contemporary metal arbor and pedestal of gray veined marble.
Dimensions: 15 cm (height) x 6 cm (width) x 8.5 cm (depth); with pedestal: 19 cm (height) x 7 cm (width) x 8.5 cm (depth)
Weight: 1357 g
Ganesha, marble, India, 19th century.
Full-plastic sculpture depicting the god Ganesha - one of the most important deities of the Hindu pantheon, removing all obstacles and patronizing new beginnings. The deity is shown in the traditional hieratic seated position of the Lalitasana type (position of royal relaxation), in which the bent, left leg rests flat and the right leg is lowered down, resting with the foot on the ground. This arrangement in Indian iconography symbolizes the perfect balance between the spiritual world and earthly activity. The figure is characterized by a rounded belly signifying prosperity and abundance. The entire composition is set on an integral, massive plinth (base) with an austere rectangular design. The right hand is raised in the symbolic gesture of abhaya mudra (a gesture of care and dispelling of fear). In his left hand resting on his knee, the deity holds the traditional modaka sweet, which is his attribute. This is the deity's favorite sweet and symbolizes the supreme sweetness of spiritual enlightenment, pure wisdom and the inner joy that awaits a person after overcoming all of life's obstacles and one's own ego. Ganesha's head is crowned by a tall mukut-type crown with a radial linear ornament, and the structure is capped by a large nimbus merged with the throne backrest. The sculpture has a damaged nimbus, trunk and part of the face.
Dimensions: 22.5 cm (height) x 15.5 cm (width) x 8 cm (depth)
Weight: 2.9 kg