18th/19th century small votive Indian bronze sculpture of Nandi - the vehicle of Shiva, or sometimes considered to be a form of Shiva himself. It rests in its usual position wearing rich trappings in front of a Shiva lingam altar, and there is a pile of offerings by his raised foot. Very neat casting and detailing, great patina, compressed dust in crevices and traces of sandalwood paste used during worship. Very good devotional object, wonderful feel of age to the piece. Length 2 1/2 inches.
17th century Indian bronze votive sculpture depicting Vishnu in his avatar of Narasimha (the Man Lion) with his consort Lakshmi sitting on his left knee. Demon Hiranyakashipu could not have been killed neither by a man, nor an animal, so Vishnu took the above form to slay it. The main emphasis of this image is upon lion characteristics of fierceness, bravery and independence, while the presence of Lakshmi is a reference to more common Lakshmi-Narayana images...
Late 18th to early 19th century votive Indian bronze sculpture of Rukmini - a consort of Vitthali, who is regarded as a form of Vishnu or Krishna. His name means “standing on a brick”, he is usually shown in characteristic stance with his hands on his hips, he is also known as Vithoba or Panduranga, and is worshipped in particular in Pandharpur, not far from Bombay. She is shown with the same hand positioning, very good casting and sharp detailing - see her jewelry...
19th century small Indian bronze votive sculpture of monkey god Hanuman cast in South India. His hands are held in praying gesture in front of him, and his tail forms a halo behind his head. Hanuman personifies ingenuity and faithfulness - his strength and courage helped Rama to defeat demon Ravana. Wonderful casting and detailing, pleasant patina. Height 1 15/16 inches.
19th century small votive Indian bronze statue of crawling baby Krishna holding in his hand a butter ball, which he stole from a storage in his house. Very nice casting, highly detailed - see his face, jewelry, apron and anatomically correct lower regions. Beautiful patina, very nice feel of age. Length 1 3/4 inches.
Early 19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha with the usual attributes in his hands, and a very worn rat - his vehicle - by his right knee, cast in the state of Karnataka. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship...
Late 18th to early 19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha sitting on a base, cast in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship. Very good casting with nice thinly cast base, beautiful warm patina, overall in very good condition for a votive piece...
19th century Indian bronze votive sculpture of Ganesha sitting on a round base, cast in the Indian state of Karnataka. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, and thus is invoked before any new undertaking. He bestows good luck on his worshippers, and is invoked in marriage ceremonies and in some forms of Tantric worship. Bold heavy casting with good sense of volume, beautiful warm patina, pleasant feel of age. Height 1 5/8 inches.
Pendant of rectangular shape ending in a triangle on its top, with a loop for possible attachment to a necklace. The pendant is decorated with an embossed design of tribal style representing Hindu god Virabhadra standing with his four arms and weapons/attributes, and surrounded by a dotted aureola. Bronze, with fine reddish green patina. India, 18th century. Height: 5.3 cm. Very good condition.
Four-armed sword wielding Virabhadra is a manifestation of Shiva. In this form, he decapitated the demigod Daksha who had insulted him, but in doing so, he interrupted the demigod's sacrifice by which all beings are created. Virabhadra later revived Daksha by replacing his head with that of a goat, thus ensuring the demigod survived and the continuance of creation...
Originally, this graceful sculpture may have stood at the doorway of a palace or temple as a warning to all malicious spirits not to enter. The tradition of lions guarding doors and gates is ancient and common to a great variety of cultures, including the Egyptians, Assyrians, Romans, and Chinese. There is a strong Chinese influence in this piece, suggesting open relations between the two cultures.
18th Century - Rajputana, India
Dimensions: 16 1/2" x 5 7/8" x 11 5/8"
An interesting and rare bronze shrine or figure, depicting a Deity, likely Vishnu, seated on a Throne with a large construction at his back, with a Lion mask on top. Cobra hood over his head. South India, ca. 18th. century.
Size: 19 cm.
Condition: Choice, smoothly polished front, the back with an fine very old brown patina.
Ex. Old Danish Collection of Indian bronzes figures of the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religions, aquired from ca. 1955 to 1990s.
Antique Indian hardwood figure carving. Mounted on a custom high-quality iron stand for display. The female figure is in a dancing pose, with elaborate headdress and garb. Mounted on a High grade custom iron stand.
18th Century
Dimensions w/ stand: 18" high x 6 3/4" wide x 4 1/2" deep
Dimensions w/o stand: 16 3/4" high x 5 1/2" wide x 2 3/4" deep
Asian low table. Mother of pearl inlay on maroon and black laquer, brass bound edges. Very minor restauration to chipped legs. 475 mm square top, 80mm high. Undated, estimated to be late 19th century or earlier. Can be viewed in central London and collected. Buyer arranges own transport from central London.
Chinese 19th century hand painted on cotton table display set. One large centre panel and twelve smaller. Contained in hand painted paper folder. Undated, estimated to be late 19th century. Diameter of large cloth 20 inches. Can be viewed in central London and shipped worldwide.
A pair woman's Paduka in fish form, made of hardwood and inlaid with brass wire. Base inscribed "Hindu bath sandals" and "Anna Broadwood". A similar pair in the Bata Shoe Museum Collection in Toronto. Dimension: c. 22 cm long, 8.8 cm wide, total height: 8.4 cm. Condition: few traces of usage, a short section with missing wire (see picture no. 2).
A painting in gouache on paper depicting Krishna as a seven year old boy in dancing costume. In this form he is known as Shri Nathji. This distinct tradition emanates from Nathadwara in Rajasthan and these paintings were probably intended for domestic shrines. 19th century.
Gouache and metallic pigments on paper. The grey scarf is silver pigment, now tarnished. A very subtle effect is the decoration in grey on the black ground, seen clearly only under a strong light...
Antique silver protective amulet in the shape of a temple representing the horseman “Bhumiya Ray”, worn par Rajput, India ,Rajasthan. H : 4,5c. CE 228 (see Bibliography)