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Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by Oxford Authentication on 26 August 2026, based on sample number N126m14, sets the firing date of the three samples taken between 1400 and 2100 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot.
Powerfully modeled in relief within a broad arched frame, the four-armed goddess is shown in a dynamic frontal pose triumphantly subduing the buffalo-demon Mahisha. One leg is sharply flexed with the foot planted firmly on the broad back of the recumbent beast, while the other descends beside its dramatically upturned head. Her lower hands grasp to control the animal at its head and mouth, emphasizing the physical struggle, while the upper hands hold a long trident and a round shield centered by a prominent boss.
The goddess is sensitively modeled with a full, softly rounded torso and gently swelling abdomen, wearing a finely draped dhoti secured by an elaborate beaded girdle and richly adorned with necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and anklets. Her serene face is strikingly rendered with almond-shaped eyes beneath gently arched brows, a broad nose, and full lips forming a subtle smile, creating a compelling contrast with the violent action below. Abundant curled locks frame the face and fall over the shoulders beneath a tall, intricately ornamented foliate crown, while a large circular halo encloses the head.
Provenance: Collection of Guy Maréchal, Belgium, thence by direct descent to his son Olivier Maréchal. Guy Maréchal (1949-2025) was a Belgian entrepreneur whose unconventional industrial and financial career laid the groundwork for the formation of his Asian art collection. After beginning his professional life as an officer in the Belgian army, he went on to achieve significant success as an independent insurance broker. In the mid-1990s and early 2000s, Maréchal redirected his expertise toward the Asian art market. He sourced works directly in China and India, particularly in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, supplying French auction houses. Following a major health event in 2006, Guy Maréchal withdrew from commercial activity to become an author and public speaker. He published several works, including Rescapé de la Mort, recounting his recovery after a 51-day coma. Olivier Maréchal (b. 1973) is a noted Belgian collector and dealer specializing in the arts of India, Vietnam, and Thailand. He began his career in the mid-1990s, learning from his father who helped him with his first purchases. He later managed Surya Gallery in Brussels, Belgium.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear and weathering, surface abrasions and flaking, small losses, chips and nicks, encrustations. Drilled holes from sample taking, now filled.
Weight: 21.9 kg (incl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 53 cm (excl. stand), 57 cm (incl. stand)
With a modern stand. (2)
Durga, the great warrior goddess and embodiment of divine feminine power, is most famously worshipped as Mahishasuramardini, the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahisha. Her victory over the seemingly invincible demon restores cosmic order and came to epitomize the triumph of divine power over the forces of chaos. Remarkably, the visual tradition of the buffalo-slayer developed long before the myth was fixed in its mature literary form: images of a warrior goddess battling Mahisha were already widespread in northern India during the Kushan period and continued to evolve under the Guptas. The present relief belongs to this formative chapter in the development of one of the most enduring and powerful subjects in Indian religious art.
Mahishasuramardini, literally the “slayer of the buffalo demon,” was initially conceived through the sheer physicality of her struggle with Mahisha. Early images from the Mathura region show the multi-armed goddess grappling directly with the buffalo, wrenching, restraining, or strangling the animal with her principal hands, while her remaining arms bear divine attributes and weapons. During the Gupta period, the composition became increasingly formalized, with the goddess overpowering or trampling her adversary and attacking him with the trident; in subsequent centuries Mahisha increasingly assumes anthropomorphic form, emerging from the body of the slain buffalo. The present plaque retains the visceral immediacy of the earlier tradition while combining it with the more refined and sensuous sculptural vocabulary characteristic of Gupta art.
The present relief is particularly compelling for its combination of these traditions. The direct physical mastery of Mahisha preserves the forceful character of the early warrior-goddess imagery, while the softly modeled body, serene expression, elaborate crown and jewelry, abundant curls, and monumental halo belong to a distinctly Gupta-related sculptural vocabulary. The result is a compact but exceptionally vigorous image in which the goddess's complete composure contrasts dramatically with the struggle unfolding beneath her.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related group of terracotta figures of Mahishasuramardini from Ahichchhatra, North India, discussed and illustrated in V. S. Agrawala, “Terracotta Figurines from Ahichchhatra,” Ancient India, no. 4, 1947-1948, p. 133-135, pl. XLVII. Compare a related early Gupta relief of Durga on the outside wall of Cave XVII at Udayagiri, Madhya Pradesh, dated to the 5th century, illustrated in Chiara Policardi, “The Goddess on the Lion”, Cracow Indological Studies, vol. XXVI, no. 2, 2024, p. 203, fig. 9. Compare a closely related red sandstone figure of Mahishasuramardini from Madhya Pradesh, dated to the 6th century, 76.5 cm high, in the Art Institute of Chicago, inv. no. 2006.187, illustrated in Alexandra A. E. van der Geer, Animals in Stone: Indian Mammals Sculptured Through Time, Brill, 2008, fig. 134.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 18 March 2013, lot 39
Price: USD 40,000 or approx. EUR 49,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing.
Description: A red sandstone stele of Durga, Central India, Madhya Pradesh, Gupta period, circa 5th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject and sculptural treatment of the goddess. Note the different material and the much smaller size (31 cm).
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