Decorative applique with bone yaksha. India, Shunga... Lot 418

Decorative applique with bone yaksha. India, Shunga period, 1st century B.C. H 13, 10.3 and 8 cm. One round sculptural and two relief-like depictions of the Yakshi, a nature spirit or a goddess of lower rank in Hinduism and Buddhism. The plaques were probably used as fittings for furniture. They depict a woman with her upper body exposed and richly adorned, her lower body covered by a robe. 3 pieces! Yakshi is the female form of the Yakshas, who are regarded as guardians of treasures hidden in the earth and are therefore counted among the followers of Kubera, the god of wealth. Provenance: Ex collection Dr. Klaus Marquardt, North Rhine-Westphalia, 1980s to 2009.