Yakshi
India, Kushan empire, Mathura region, 2nd century
Red sandstone
36 x 7 1/4 x 5 1/4 in. (91.44 x 18.415 x 13.335 cm)
Gift of David T. Owsley via the Alvin and Lucy Owsley Foundation, 2003.21

A yakshi is a female fertility figure, often considered to be a tree or water spirit. As in this sculpture, they appear as voluptuous young women adorning themselves with jewelry. Often the woman steps on a dwarf figure. This figure is part of an architectural decoration for a Buddhist stupa, or monument built over the remains of a Buddhist holy figure. The S curve of the figure may be compared with the Dallas Museum of Art’s Greek figure of a young man from a funerary relief.