Medieval · Rijksmuseum · 200106515
Heavenly beauty
anonymous, Karnataka, c. 1100 - c. 1200
Rijksmuseum · Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · AK-RAK-1975-2 · Public Domain · Public domain
- Artist
- anonymous, Karnataka
- Date
- c. 1100 - c. 1200
- Medium
- slate
- Dimensions
- depth 17 cm × height 83 cm × width 33 cm
- Era
- Medieval
Why it matters
The body of this heavenly beauty (apsara) is laden with jewellery, which has been meticulously carved. This is characteristic of the period in which the sculpture was made, during the reign of the Hoysala dynasty (11th-14th century). The outer walls of Hoysala temples are almost entirely covered with sculptures, and this figure would have formed part of the sumptuous decoration on the outside of one such temple.