A BRONZE STATUE OF VISHNU HOLDING THE INFANT BRAHMA ON A SHRINE, NAYAK PERIOD
South India, 17th century. The four-armed deity seated atop a lotus pedestal, holding the infant Brahma in his two main arms while the others hold chakra and conch, backed by a separately cast arch with beaded and foliate decorations, makara heads, and central kirtimukha. The bronze with a fine, chocolate-brown patina and scattered malachite encrustations.


Provenance:
Sotheby’s London, 28 October 1993, lot 649. Collection Particulière Française, acquired from the above. With an old Sotheby’s label, ‘649. 28 Oct 1993’.

Condition:
Very good condition with minor wear and casting irregularities, small dents, minuscule nicks, light scratches, encrustations.

Weight: 384.8 g
Dimensions: Height 11.8 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related brass figure of Vishnu holding baby Brahma, 11.9 cm high, in the Science Museum, London, object number A5428.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams San Francisco, 25 June 2019, lot 173
Price: USD 3,750 or approx.
EUR 4,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A copper alloy figure of Vishnu and Lakshmi, South India, Nayak period, circa 17th century
Expert remark: Compare the related composition, modeling, alloy, and manner of casting. Note the different subject and larger size (17.2 cm).