Lithesome limbs and a graceful posture, this wooden dancing Apsara with a parrot statue recreates the joy of the beautiful maiden’s heart upon receiving a message of love from her beloved. Parrot (Shuka in Sanskrit) are birds in Indian tradition that are associated with the Lord of Love, Kamadeva, and often accompany the divinely magnificent Apsaras and dancing ladies, acting as the messenger of their beloved.
The wooden dancing Apsara statue is placed on a fine wooden pedestal over which a fully-blossomed lotus flower is carved for her to place her feet as soft as the fragrant blossom. With a skilled carving that skillfully underlines the vigorous movements of the human body; the figure of the dancing Apsara comes to life.
Her hair is tied in a high knot which is slightly tilted to her left; her body is beautified by elaborate jewelry and an ornate girdle that serves as a short bejeweled skirt. The left leg of the wooden Apsara raised elegantly brings a pleasing dynamism to the statue, enhanced by how the gemmed strings of her girdle sway. In her left hand, the celestial maiden has a parrot, who has the undivided attention of the beauty, so that she can hear the sweet messages he is about to whisper in her ear.
To highlight the spurt of joy experienced by the Apsara, the maker of this wooden sculpture has added an aureole of fruiting vines to the image, which the maiden holds with her left hand reminding us of the Shalabhanjika (lady holding a tree or creeper) sculptures found on the walls and decorations of ancient Indian architectural marvels.
Shalabhanjikas are Yakshi (celestial maidens) or Apsaras (celestial nymphs), considered fertility figures and auspicious symbols. Women holding a tree branch are believed to attract energies that bring auspiciousness, abundance, and fecundity to one’s life. The theme of fertility and abundance can also be seen in the figures of parrots that appear to be pecking a bunch of ripe mangos just above the head of the Apsara and on her left thigh.
In India, it is believed that parrots tend to eat only mangos, which are perfectly ripened, and the ripening of fruits is seen as the arrival of springtime. Her heart overflowing with the ecstasy of romance, the seed of love seems to have borne the sweetest fruit which has ripened, on which relishes the feathered messenger of the Apsara.
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