Unknown
The Hindu God Revanta and Companionsearly 7th century

Not on view

Sandstone relief panel with a large equestrian figure at center, flanked by attendants, above a frieze of smaller carved figures; warm tan stone with granular, weathered texture

Sandstone relief panel with a central crowned figure seated on a caparisoned horse, flanked by standing attendants and a mounted figure; a frieze of small figures along the base; worn surface with fine carved detail throughout.

Stone relief carving depicting a bejeweled figure mounted on a horse with beaded bridle, a second figure visible in the background; detailed ornamental carving in warm sandy-toned stone with dramatic raking light.

Sandstone relief fragment showing a rectangular pedestal carved with a frieze of five seated dwarf figures (ganas) in dynamic poses, with the base of a larger sculptural group visible above.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: The Hindu God Revanta and Companions
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath region
Date Made: early 7th century
Medium: Pale cream sandstone
Dimensions: 23 x 20 in. (58.42 x 50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart
Accession Number: M.73.87.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Revanta (Brilliant) is the youngest son of the Hindu Sun God, Surya, and his wife Sañjña (or Saranya). He is the chief of the Guhyakas (Hidden Ones), nature spirits who dwell in mountain caves and protect forest travelers. Revanta is worshiped as a patron deity of horse traders and is represented as a hunter on horseback returning from a successful hunt. Perhaps due to Iranian cultural influence, and in accordance with his father’s attire in northern Indian representations, he wears boots, trousers, and a tunic. His hair is styled like a Phrygian cap and he wears a bejeweled diadem. He carries a drinking cup in his right hand and holds the horse’s reins in his left. He is accompanied by five Guhyaka attendants with similar hairstyles. The attendant behind him carries an honorific parasol (chattra) over Revanta’s head. An attendant behind the horse’s head holds a flask to refill his master’s drinking cup. The attendant in the upper left corner carries a slain boar captured in the hunt. The hunting dog licks his master’s boot in a charming genre embellishment. Beneath the hunting procession is a frieze of dancing musicians celebrating the good fortune of the hunt. See also M.86.61.1.

A comparable sandstone sculpture of Revanta, attributed to North India, 9th–10th century, is in the Linden-Museum Stuttgart.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Pal, Pratapaditya. The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1978.
Pal, Pratapaditya. The Sacred and Secular in Indian Art. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California, 1974.
Newman, Richard. The Stone Sculpture of India: a Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from ca. 2nd Century B.C. to the 16th Century. Cambridge, MA: Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard University Art Museums, 1984.
El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

Unknown
The Hindu God Revanta and Companionsearly 7th century

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: The Hindu God Revanta and Companions
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Sarnath region
Date Made: early 7th century
Medium: Pale cream sandstone
Dimensions: 23 x 20 in. (58.42 x 50.8 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart
Accession Number: M.73.87.1
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: Revanta (Brilliant) is the youngest son of the Hindu Sun God, Surya, and his wife Sañjña (or Saranya). He is the chief of the Guhyakas (Hidden Ones), nature spirits who dwell in mountain caves and protect forest travelers. Revanta is worshiped as a patron deity of horse traders and is represented as a hunter on horseback returning from a successful hunt. Perhaps due to Iranian cultural influence, and in accordance with his father’s attire in northern Indian representations, he wears boots, trousers, and a tunic. His hair is styled like a Phrygian cap and he wears a bejeweled diadem. He carries a drinking cup in his right hand and holds the horse’s reins in his left. He is accompanied by five Guhyaka attendants with similar hairstyles. The attendant behind him carries an honorific parasol (chattra) over Revanta’s head. An attendant behind the horse’s head holds a flask to refill his master’s drinking cup. The attendant in the upper left corner carries a slain boar captured in the hunt. The hunting dog licks his master’s boot in a charming genre embellishment. Beneath the hunting procession is a frieze of dancing musicians celebrating the good fortune of the hunt. See also M.86.61.1.

A comparable sandstone sculpture of Revanta, attributed to North India, 9th–10th century, is in the Linden-Museum Stuttgart.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Indian Sculpture, vol.1. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1986.
Pal, Pratapaditya. The Divine Presence: Asian Sculptures from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lenart. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1978.
Pal, Pratapaditya. The Sacred and Secular in Indian Art. Santa Barbara, CA: University of California, 1974.
Newman, Richard. The Stone Sculpture of India: a Study of the Materials Used by Indian Sculptors from ca. 2nd Century B.C. to the 16th Century. Cambridge, MA: Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard University Art Museums, 1984.
El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.