This is likely a representation of a nature goddess (yakshi) that once adorned the railing encircling a Buddhist or Jain stupa (funerary monument) to demarcate the sacred space within. Yakshis and their male counterparts (yakshas) were tutelary deities who served as attendants for Kubera, the pan-Indian god of wealth. They were also associated with nature’s abundance and, consequently, often received fertility offerings from women desiring to become pregnant. Although at first glance this voluptuous figure may be perceived as naked apart from the waistline of her lower garment above her hip belt (katibandha) and waist sash that hangs down between her legs and at her side, close observation will reveal the neckline hem of a diaphanous upper garment likely intended to represent India’s famed gossamer cottons. She wears a golden pearl armlet and a pearl necklace with what may be a clasp in the form of a mythical aquatic creature (makara). She likely wore large earrings, hair ornaments, and an elegant hairstyle on her head, which is now absent apart from her long locks that hang down framing her breasts. Remnants of her now-missing left hand indicate that it once grasped her pendant waist sash. Originally, she presumably stood on an animal mount that helped identify her.

• El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

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