234 - SEATED NEPLEASE STONE WITH GODDESS

SEATED NEPLEASE STONE WITH GODDESS Dimensions: Height 15 cm Wide 11 cm Depth 9 cm Weight: 826 grams A carved stone relief of a seated, multi-armed goddess within a shallow arched shrine. The deity sits cross-legged upon a low pedestal, her upper arms lifted to either side and her other hands arranged before the torso. A high crown, large earrings and a necklace emphasize her divine status, while the broad framing arch gives the compact composition a sense of architectural enclosure. The dark, weathered stone retains patches of red pigment or ritual colouring in the recesses and across the figure. It is displayed on a simple wooden support. The goddess's multiple arms suggest powers extending beyond ordinary human capacity, a visual language shared by many Hindu and Buddhist female divinities in Nepal. In the religious art of the Kathmandu Valley and wider Himalayan region, small stone images such as this could concentrate the presence of a deity within an intimate devotional setting. The remaining colour is a reminder that such sculpture was not necessarily encountered as bare stone, but could be enlivened by pigment and offerings.