Overview

This bust originally decorated the walls surrounding a stupa. The reddish sandstone indicates that it may have been made in the Mathura area in Central India. The body of this Yakshi with big breasts is carved in high-relief (alto-relief). In some local Indian religions, Yakshi were originally deities of the trees and forests, but they were later adopted by Buddhism as guardians of Buddhist thought, and the figures were carved around stupas. This deity is often depicted as a voluptuous, naked woman in various poses. The materials, size and style of this figure are very similar to those of three, relief Yakshi statues on a stone wall in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, suggesting that they may have been made in the same period by related artists. In her right hand, this Yakshi holds what may be some kind of fruit, such as a grape.