Inventory no.: 149

Lakshmi Narayana bronze, South India

SOLD

Lakshmi-Narayana

South India

18th century

height: 7.2 cm

This finely cast image shows Vishnu as Narayana with Sri Devi (or Lakshmi) seated on his left knee. Sri Devi holds a lotus bud in her left hand. She lacks a kuchabandha across her breasts in keeping with the flexible regard for iconographic rules so often seen among Indian religious bronzes. Vishnu holds a chakra wheel with his back right hand and a conch with his back left hand. His shrivatsa attribute is rendered as a triangle towards his upper right-hand shoulder. His front left hand supports Sri Devi and his front right hand is in vitarka mudhra. He is seated on a lotus throne. Both have elegantly cast and finely detailed dhoti garments. The pair show minimal puja wear.

A related bronze of similar size ‘Varaha, the boar incarnation with his consort, 18th century’ is in the British Museum (OA 1940.7-16.246).

Inventory no.: 149

SOLD