Unknown
Capital with a Hybrid Leonine Creature2nd century

Not on view

Stone sculpture of a winged sphinx-like creature seated atop a carved column capital with rosette and leaf decoration, sandy tan stone with weathered surface

Stone sculpture of a winged creature with a human-like face atop a tiered pedestal decorated with carved petal and rosette bands; traces of pink and green pigment remain on the weathered surface.

Sandstone sculpture of a crouching sphinx-like creature with a human face, scaled wings folded against its body, and a clawed forepaw resting on a plinth decorated with incised rosette motifs along the base.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Capital with a Hybrid Leonine Creature
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura region
Date Made: 2nd century
Medium: Mottled red sandstone
Dimensions: 23 1/4 x 9 3/4 x 9 in. (59.05 x 24.76 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by The Smart Family Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Edgar G. Richards
Accession Number: M.88.3
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This forceful sculpture was originally the capital of a pilaster in the form of a pillar (stambha) framing the entrance to a sacred enclosure in the Mathura region of present-day Uttar Pradesh. It features a campaniform lotus capital that would have been atop a now-missing plain shaft. It is surmounted by a two-part abacus. The lower element is round and carved with lotus medallions. The upper element is a square plinth that supports a finial in the form of a seated leogryph (vyala or yalis) with a mustachioed human head on the body of a winged lion similar to a sphinx. Vyalas are mythical beasts of west Asian inspiration that are believed to be fearless guardians that protect sanctified spaces both physically and spiritually. They are conceived in various hybrid forms, including elephant-headed (gaja-vyala), lion-headed (simha-vyala), horse- headed (ashva-vyala), dog-headed (shvana-vyala), and human-headed (nir-vyala or nara-vyala).

A comparable Mathura pillar capital with a vyala finial, albeit envisioned with a serpentine tail, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.712-1883).
Selected Bibliography: El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.

Unknown
Capital with a Hybrid Leonine Creature2nd century

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Capital with a Hybrid Leonine Creature
Place Made: India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura region
Date Made: 2nd century
Medium: Mottled red sandstone
Dimensions: 23 1/4 x 9 3/4 x 9 in. (59.05 x 24.76 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Purchased with funds provided by The Smart Family Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. Edgar G. Richards
Accession Number: M.88.3
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This forceful sculpture was originally the capital of a pilaster in the form of a pillar (stambha) framing the entrance to a sacred enclosure in the Mathura region of present-day Uttar Pradesh. It features a campaniform lotus capital that would have been atop a now-missing plain shaft. It is surmounted by a two-part abacus. The lower element is round and carved with lotus medallions. The upper element is a square plinth that supports a finial in the form of a seated leogryph (vyala or yalis) with a mustachioed human head on the body of a winged lion similar to a sphinx. Vyalas are mythical beasts of west Asian inspiration that are believed to be fearless guardians that protect sanctified spaces both physically and spiritually. They are conceived in various hybrid forms, including elephant-headed (gaja-vyala), lion-headed (simha-vyala), horse- headed (ashva-vyala), dog-headed (shvana-vyala), and human-headed (nir-vyala or nara-vyala).

A comparable Mathura pillar capital with a vyala finial, albeit envisioned with a serpentine tail, is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (IS.712-1883).
Selected Bibliography: El Universo de la India: Obras Maestras del Museo de Arte del Condado de Los Angeles. Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, 2012.