A TERRACOTTA RELIEF OF NANDI, GUPTA PERIOD
India, Uttar Pradesh, 6th century. Finely and heavily potted, the recumbent holy bull with the legs tucked in and head raised looking toward the upper corner, a neatly incised column capped with a fierce tiger head to the right.

Provenance: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, USA. Christie's New York, 21 September 2007, lot 232. An English private collection, acquired from the above. Over four decades, James and Marilynn Alsdorf assembled a remarkable collection with some of the biggest names of modern art, including Rene Magritte, Frida Kahlo, Joan Miro, and Jean Dubuffet, as well as a significant number of highly important Chinese works of art. Married in 1952, James and Marilynn built a life centered on art, philanthropy and family. "My grandparents were the picture of elegance, and they had impeccable taste, but to their family they were known for their warmth, wit, and humor," recalls Bridget Alsdorf, the couple's granddaughter.
Published: Pratapaditya Pal, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, 1997, Chicago, p. 260, cat. 350.
Exhibited: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2 August to 26 October 1997, A Collecting Odyssey: Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art from the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, some losses, small chips and nicks, minor bruises, structural cracks, encrustations.

Weight: 8.4 kg
Dimensions: Length 35 cm