Rama Bronze, India, 18th century

Bronze Rama

This elegant, finely cast image of Rama shows the deity standing, with hands in anjali mudhra and with a bow over his right arm and a quiver of arrows slung on his back. He wear a tall conical crown, and elegant belt, a striped dhoti, heavy earrings and a beautiful hair disc cast with the petals of a flower.

The image has a rich, chocolate patina and softened contours from

puja use. Overall, this is a beautifully rendered miniature bronze of a deity that is less commonly seen.

Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, is a relatively minor deity whose task was to kill a demon king who held his wife captive. But from this story, Rama has entered into the mainstream of Indian mythology and is a major figure in Indian epic poetry, particularly in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.