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Newari Donor Statue Single Figure

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All Items: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Indian Subcontinent: Himalayas: Pre 1800: item # 900454

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Ipswich, Massachusetts 01938


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$950

 Newari Donor Statue Single Figure
With the Newaris of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal it was customary for the donors of a statue to a temple to have a small statue of themselves cast to be put beside it. These were called donor figure statues.

In these donor statues the male is always to the left of the female. He kneels while she sits cross-legged. They are always portrayed with their hands held together in the gesture of devotion. This male donor claims credit alone. Perhaps he was widowed. Behind and above him are five small reservoirs which would have held mustard oil for burning. While this statue has been cleaned of much of the debris of the offering fires, traces remain. The cleaning has also revealed sufficient evidence to believe that the accumulated oil once caught fire and melted the solder which connected the donor to the base. Thus is the evidence of the not-so-carefully done repair where the donor has been reattached. No damage was done to the bronze elements of the statue and a better craftsman could make an unnoticeable reunion of the two parts.

The statue is five and a half inches tall and and 3-1/2 inches deep. Without an inscribed date it is hard to date these statues, but 18-19th century would be a conservative estimate.



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