The Kama Sutra Illuminated: Erotic Art of India [Hardcover]

Andrea Marion Pinkney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2002

The Kama Sutra, a 3rd-century Sanskrit text by the Hindu sage Vatsyayana, set forth the principles of sensual pleasure with poetry, wisdom, and humor, celebrating love as an ecstatic expression of life's beauty. The most famous text on sex ever written, the Kama Sutra is an exceptionally popular work that has inspired artists over the centuries to create images depicting its explicit instructions for correct and incorrect sexual behavior during courtship and marriage. There are many Kama Sutras in print, but this lavishly produced, oversized volume is the first illustrated version that presents great works of art inspired by this classic text.

Reproduced in these pages are some 200 artworks-ranging from temple decoration and bronze sculpture to medieval court painting and cave frescoes-accompanied by excerpts from the Sir Richard Burton translation of the original text and a discussion of the historical context in which these images were created. Long treasured as an uninhibited exaltation of erotic and mystical bliss, the Kama Sutra, as illuminated here, is a sublime gift for lovers-and lovers of beautiful art

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There has been a spate of recent translations of this ancient Indian manual for creating balance in one's love life (and maximizing pleasure in the process). Pinkney, a doctoral candidate in Religions and Languages of North India at Columbia University, returns to what she finds to be key passages in Sir Richard Francis Burton's 19th century translation-"Do what is done-/ To a slap, slap back./ And in the same way/ Return kisses with kisses"-illustrating them with reproductions from the rich tradition of Indian sensual art. With detailed explanations and contextualizations, Pickney tries to get close to the original intentions of Hindu sage Vatsyayana in composing his fourth century text. She is aided by 200 full-color images of sculptures, paintings and objects depicting sexual acrobatics gathered by Lance Dane (a founder of Delhi's Sanskriti Museum of Every Day Art), which concretize the sage's advice on everything from "how to inspire confidence in her" to the use of dildos. Beyond the various positions for intercourse, Vatsyayana produced a masterful series of lists, some of which might pique the ire of feminists. Within a list about "types of women known to turn from propriety," he includes "high-rollers," "opinionated women," and "actors' wives." Although society has (perhaps) changed, the intricate ways lovers can bite or scratch each other have not, and this book reminds that the look of love is as old as it is beautiful.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (October 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810935325
• ISBN-13: 978-0810935327
• Product Dimensions: 14.3 x 10.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,079,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing! ... exotic and erotic......just beautiful!, October 18, 2002

By 

K. Sterling-Adams (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Kama Sutra Illuminated: Erotic Art of India (Hardcover)

An unbeleiveably full, large format book with the most wonderful and colorful images of erotic Indian art imaginable. This book should really be selling for $... upwards for the quality and quantity of fantastic photos and images alone. A top-quality, heavy art book, indeed.
Fold-out pages also provide large scale formats and it seems no expense was spared to create the high quality images that abound in this awe-inspiring collection of wonderful erotic masterpieces. Truly the most captivating book I now proudly own.

As a traveler and lover of all things "India", I have been waiting for a book like this for a long time to give as a gift to my husband. This is the real heart of the matter...no need to actually read the Kama Sutra when what you really want is all right here. Even without the erotic theme, this book presents some of the most wonderful art of India I have ever seen in one breathtaking book. This book is an absolute "must" for any follower of Indian art, or just anyone who appreciates the delicious and delicate sex-play and sensualities of Indian art and history. Very inspiring :), very beautiful, exotic, erotic and just plain fabulous! What more could you want? I am thrilled with this purchase..... on all levels! A+++++

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A big, fat, lovely book, February 21, 2003

By 

Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kama Sutra Illuminated: Erotic Art of India (Hardcover)

This is absolutely the finest version of the Kama Sutra available. With 224 pages and a huge page size--14-1/2" by 10-1/2", over an inch thick, printed on high quality glossy paper, and absolutely full of full color photos of erotic Indian art, including statuary and several twice-size foldouts, it would be a bargain at twice the offered price here on Amazon.

For years the Kama Sutra has been the object of admiration because of its explicit sexual content, as well as its Tantric religious application for those interested in the practices of Eastern religions. Of course many in the West have sought it out as a source of ancient pornography, but the artwork represented in this book is not as anatomically correct as that which can be found in Playboy or Hustler, and therefore is less useful for voyeuristic titillation. However, for the student of Eastern religions, especially the Tantric tradition, it will be found to be unsurpassed.

The Hindi text, both in their calligraphy and the alphabet, and fully translated into English, is beautifully done. The absolutely gorgeous large sized full-color reproductions of ancient Indian art is exquisite.

Highly recommended!

Joseph Pierre

author of The Road to Damascus: Our Journey Through Eternity
and other books

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, January 15, 2005

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Kama Sutra Illuminated: Erotic Art of India (Hardcover)

This book is packed with beautiful illustrations. They cover every embrace, every kiss, and every acrobatic exotica in the Kama Sutra catalog. The pictures go beyond the actual text, in illustrations of groups and in groups of illustrations.

Some depictions are stone carvings from the temples at Konarak, other are more recent carvings in wood or ivory. Drawings and paintings seem to cover every historical style the sub-continent has seen since the 18th century, from stylized cartoons to realism. Color, where appropriate is vivid and well-printed. The illustrations capture many times, people, fashions, practices, and styles of dress. Where necessary, foldouts show larger views so you can appreciate the original's detail. With just a bit more organization and care with the attributions, the illustrations alone could form a serious historical document.

The only drawback to this beautiful book is the Kama Sutra - it's just not there, at least not in complete and coherent form. There are extracts, in Sanskrit, a Romanized form of the Sanskrit phonetics, in a modern translation, and in Burton's Victorian rendering. Maybe the whole Vatsyayana text is there, but it's pretty well chopped up and mixed with extensive commentary. This is about the Kama Sutra, but not a straight translation of the book.

Still, the pictures are worth it. This is a gorgeous book.

//wiredweird