Celestial Woman Undressed By a Monkey

We look at her now in a gallery at eye level, but this sculpture originally would have occupied an exterior corner of a Hindu temple in Central India, and she would have looked down on the viewer. The unnamed artist gives us a beautiful celestial nymph arranging her long hair with one hand while with the other she grasps her gauzy garment as it is pulled down by an impish monkey near her right foot (the head of the monkey is missing). It is whimsical, sensual, and rendered with consummate skill. This celestial woman would have been part of a large group of similar auspicious figures that helped sanctify the temple. The sculptor was a master of texture and form, giving us smooth skin that pulses from the sandstone, deep-carved tresses that flow like water, and a brilliant contraposto pose that is both realistic and otherworldly. The remnants of the monkey’s body are fluid and playful and show a fun contrast of sharp angles and mischievousness. This is a work of faith as well as a work of art. 

- Brad Allen