Antiquity · Rijksmuseum · 200106310
Female nature spirit
anonymous, Mathura, c. 100 - c. 200
Rijksmuseum · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · AK-MAK-303 · Public Domain · On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase heirs W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, 1960) · Public domain
- Artist
- anonymous, Mathura
- Date
- c. 100 - c. 200
- Medium
- sandstone
- Dimensions
- width 22 cm × depth 15 cm × height 95 cm
- Era
- Antiquity
Why it matters
A female nature spirit (yakshi) stands beneath a tree. On her left shoulder she is carrying a basket with toilet articles. The fabric of her clothing as diaphanous, so that it clearly reveals the luscious curves of her body. This sculpted pilaster formed part of the railing of a stupa, a Buddhist shrine.