Indian Sandstone Architectural Element with Twin Yakshi

India, Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh; circa 11th to 12th century AD

A buff sandstone relief with a pair of celestial maidens; (yakshi or devangana–style attendants) exquisitely carved in the round in animated attitudes, each clad in sheer dhotis, wearing jeweled body ornaments and large earrings,  flanking a column or pilaster, which would have formed part of a larger architectural panel rather than a freestanding single statue. Comparable panels from Khajuraho, Gwalior, or other central/north Indian sites show similar pairs of women standing beside a pillar, usually as part of a register of figures on a temple wall or entrance jamb

Size:  19-7/8 (50cm) high, excluding base. 

Condition: Overall, very nice, losses, as shown.  Provenance: Private Collection of a Hyde Park Real Estate Developer.