Celestial Entertainer

India, Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh; Pala period (8th–12th century), 10th century
Sandstone (quartz arenite)
H. 19 1/2 x W. 10 x D. 9 in. (49.5 x 25.4 x 22.86 cm)
Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.32

Provenance
John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY; acquired from William H. Wolff Inc., New York, NY, December 4, 1967.
The Asia Society, New York, NY, bequest of John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY, 1979.

Images of female celestial entertainers commonly decorate the exterior walls of Hindu temples. The exaggerated pose of this figure emphasizes both her movement and her fertile nature. An Indian text on temple art notes the auspicious importance of these figures: "As a house without a wife, as frolic without a woman, so, without the figure of a women the monument will be of inferior quality and will bear no fruit."