A Surya Sculpture from the Guwahati Museum

This brilliant 13th century Surya sculpture at the Assam state museum is one of the many overlooked idols in the Indian sculptural repertoire. Notice the subtle smile on the face and the delicate arc of the eyebrows. Surya is seen here holding two lotuses that are highly stylised, and surrounded at his feet by a coterie of marginal figures. The most stunning aspect of this piece is the life-like poise in the body and the awareness of the spine of the figure, reflected in the position of the torso. If you look closely enough, you can almost feel the abdomen inflating and deflating with the breath of the body.

#facts #history #trivia