Acquired from a gallery circa 2010

Purchased from the above in 2015

There are small losses and scratches to the gold surface due to the fragile nature of the medium. There is slight rubbing to the black paint on the woman's hair. This sculpture is in good overall condition, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ravinder Reddy’s voluptuous female heads are inspired by the forms of classical Indian sculpture but their execution and placing is clearly contemporary in nature. Painted in vibrant colours with lustrous gilded surfaces, the gold and red tones are reminiscent of the texture of painted wooden images seen in South Indian temples, while the pronounced curves of the form reference the rhythmic interplay of the convex and concave surfaces of the stone sculptures that adorn temple walls. The elaborate styled hair is accentuated with traditional Indian garland flowers emphasising sensuality imbued with a tactile quality. The primary colour tones – a palette lifted from the rich tradition of Indian miniature painting – exacerbates the angular facial features of the female head. The face of the woman with her hyperbolic features, painted red lips, wide kohl-lined eyes and bright, shiny hair embellishments exudes a raw rapturous appeal, transfixing and drawing the attention of the viewer, yet her dispassionate gaze creates an impersonal space around her. As artist Gieve Patel explains, "...the sensuality [of the heads] is serene. In most instances the sexual impulse does not speak of excitement, but of fulfillment" (ArtIndia, vol. II, issue II, 1996, p. 81).
Inspired by Pop Art, portraiture and traditional India statuary themes, employing his influence of Hindu goddesses, religious kitsch items and everyday local women; he celebrates the female form in all varieties and ridicules the ideal picture of feminine beauty in Indian culture, by both traditional and contemporary means. He combines the secular and the religious, raising questions of social, sexual, religious and cultural identity, as a comment on the dilution of Indian culture through globalisation. His work borders on folk rather than fine art and even though his women command scale and demeanour they often have rather unconventional and monstrous tunes, while being arrestingly beautiful at once. There is inspiration from the aesthetic of yakshis, a class of deities known for their fertility and fecundity; his heads are sensual but repelling, majestic yet docile, reflecting his fascination for the female form.
'Suspended between the urban and the rural Reddy's sculpture is a cultural hybrid. This interplay between societies has been of interest to Reddy; combining the stimulus of the old and the new he turns an iconic object into one of satirical social commentary - the classical form of Indian sculpture overlaid with the visual ethic of popular culture, becomes voluptuous, and accessible' (DaimlerChrysler Contemporary, Private/Corporate IV: Works from the Lekha and Anupam Poddar, New Delhi, and DaimlerChrysler Collections: A Dialogue, Berlin, 2007, p. 52).