Relief panel depicting a grotesque, sandstone, Madhya Pradesh, central India, 6th century

Sandstone relief of a stylised grotesque face with tendrils

Purchased with the assistance of Dr Henry Ginsburg

Bought from Spink & Son with the assistance of Dr. Henry Ginsburg.

The kirttimukha ('face of glory') is a grotesque, lion-like face with flaring eyes and prominent fangs, usually represented with tendrils and vapour or pearls issuing from its jawless mouth. This motif becomes prominent during the Gupta period in the fourth and fifth centuries. No precise Indian prototype is known, though it does relate to some of the mythological faces, such as the makara, of the Kushan period; its origins may relate to Hellenistic heads of gorgons. By the sixth century the kirttimukha had attained its standard form in India, and appears regularly as a crowning ornament of sculptural relief panels and on bronze throne backs above the image of the deity. It is also used in representations of jewellery from an early period.

In architecture it frequently appears above doorways and on capitals, usually positioned as a protective presence. Relief panels of this type appear on the square section capitals of Gupta columns and elsewhere in Gupta period temples. The original placement of this panel with half a grotesque face is unknown, but it does compare closely with a column in a ruined Hindu temple at Pipariya in Madhya Pradesh. This character is presumably a nature-spirit (yaksha), possibly acquatic judging from the turbulant foliage.

Madhya Pradesh, central India

The motif on this sandstone relief is a ‘kirttimukha’ ('face of glory'). The grotesque, lion-like face has flaring eyes and prominent fangs. It is usually represented with tendrils and vapour or pearls issuing from its jawless mouth. The character shown here is presumably a nature-spirit (‘yaksha’), possibly a water-spirit judging from the turbulent foliage.

In architecture the ‘kirttimukha’ frequently appears above doorways and on capitals, usually as a protective presence. Relief panels like this one appear on the square-section capitals of Gupta columns and elsewhere in Gupta period (320-about 540 AD) temples. We do not know where this panel with half a grotesque face was originally placed. However, it does compare closely with a column in a ruined Hindu temple at Pipariya in Madhya Pradesh.

The ‘kirttimukha’ motif became prominent during the Gupta period in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. By the 6th century it had attained its standard form in India. No precise Indian model is known, though it does relate to some of the mythological faces of the Kushan period (1st century AD-320 AD), such as the ‘makara’. Its origins may relate to Hellenistic heads of gorgons. In Greek mythology, these were women with snakes for hair.

IS.29-1987