Bertolami Fine Art
Lot 463
A RARE UNHEATED CEYLON SAPPHIRE INTAGLIO. KRISHNA RIDING A YALI. 18th century or earlierDiam 20x5 mm circaThe scene depicts a male character wearing an hindu crown in stupa shape, and riding an hybrid creature toward right. The creature with a lion body and a tiger’s head is depicted with a fierceless look. Groundline. Use of globular elements. The Yali was a mythical lion with special powers. When the body is that of a tiger, the creature is called a shardula. Yali figures are considered to be a type of grotesque sculpture, meant to inspire fear and awe, and have iconographies similar to other composite mythological creatures, such as the hippogriff and sphinx of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. They are also associated with the mythical griffin. Yali figures are believed to act as guardians and protectors, shielding a temple from threats. The tame form of the yali, typically shown flanking short stairways attached to temple plinths with waterfalls emerging from their open mouth, is known as the surul-yali. Yalis were also considered divine vehicles for deities, and were used to signify heroism and the elemental forces of nature, tamed and controlled by being incorporated into architecture and sculpture. Large unheated stone of great rarity. Wear marks. Minor chip on the edge. See: pair of Architectural Brackets in the form of a rampant leonine creatures (Yali or Vyala), from a processional Mandapa; Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India c. 17th century, ivory with traces of paint, Los Angeles, County Museum of Art. See also: A knight riding the mythological Yali, Jalakanteeswarar Temple, 16th century A.D. and Kesava Temple, Vasu Krishnan, 13th century A.D. Further reserches are necessary.Provenance: U.K. collection, acquired on the british art market. Accompanied with a U.K. gem laboratory test.
