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Bastar (Chhattisgarh, Central India)
Brass, Dokra work
An unusual Dipalakshmi lamp from the Bastar region, in the form of a female figure standing holding three teardrop-shaped lamp bowls in her hands. The fine cross-hatching and details are typical of Bastar casting. Dipalakshmi, the Goddess of light and wealth, is usually shown holding the lamp bowl in her hands cupped in the gesture of anjali or offering of the flame of ‘divine light’ which, when lit, kindles light into the image.
Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. One of the earliest known lost wax artefacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-Daro. The product of dhokra artisans is in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. Dhokra horses, elephants, peacocks, owls, religious images, measuring bowls, and lamp caskets, etc., are highly appreciated.
Size (cms): 14(H) x 12(W) x 12.5(D)
Size (inches): 5.5(H) x 4.5(W) x 5(D)
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Bastar (Chhattisgarh, Central India)
Brass, Dokra work
An oil lamp depicting Panchdipa, the Goddess of Light who is depicted riding an elephant and bearing a kalasha, or pitcher for oil, on her head. The Goddess and elephant also provide support to a singular oil burner. The fine cross-hatching and details are typical of Bastar casting.
Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. One of the earliest known lost wax artefacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-Daro. The product of dhokra artisans is in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. Dhokra horses, elephants, peacocks, owls, religious images, measuring bowls, and lamp caskets, etc., are highly appreciated.
Size (cms): 20(H) x 12.5(W) x 8.3(D)
Size (inches): 8(H) x 5(W) x 3.5(D)
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Bastar (Chhattisgarh, Central India)
Brass, Dokra work
An oil lamp depicting Panchdipa, the Goddess of Light who is depicted riding an elephant and bearing a kalasha, or pitcher for oil, on her head. The Goddess also provides support to four oil burners and the elephant holds an additional burner with his trunk. The fine cross-hatching and details are typical of Bastar casting.
Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. One of the earliest known lost wax artefacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-Daro. The product of dhokra artisans is in great demand in domestic and foreign markets because of primitive simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and forceful form. Dhokra horses, elephants, peacocks, owls, religious images, measuring bowls, and lamp caskets, etc., are highly appreciated.
Size (cms): 23(H) x 21(W) x 17(D)
Size (inches): 9(H) x 8.5(W) x 6.5(D)
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Nagaland (North-East India)
Wood
Male standing figure adorned with red and white glass bead necklaces. Carved from solid trunks of trees, the solemn expressions of these wood sculptures sometimes heightened by cowrie shells, bead necklaces or human and animal hair, combined with the blunt tubular carving on dark wood give these Naga figures a silent though persuasive identity.
A key fixture in nearly all Naga settlements was the Morung, or Men’s House, which served as something of a community center. It was usually the biggest and most beautifully furnished building in a village, spacious and decorated with ornate carvings. Numerous wooden sculptures decorated the walls and posts of the farthest end of the innermost space of the Morung. They expressed the narrative traditions of the Naga. Wooden sculpture such as this, depicting would be posted near the walls of the Morung, were not uncommon and thought to relate to fertility.
The Naga are a group of culturally and linguistically linked tribes who live in the mountainous regions of northeastern India and northwestern Burma (Myanmar). As headhunters, they were feared and avoided by their neighbours, allowing them to develop a distinctive material culture—in which objects they created are of impressive aesthetic value and possess great symbolic importance to the community—and a complex system of norms and taboos.
Size (cms): 46(H) x 9(W) x 7(D)
Size (inches): 18(H) x 3.5(W) x 3(D)
