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Maharashtra/ Karnataka
brass alloy
This finely modelled brass horse is most likely a procession image or Utsav Murti. Its primary function was to be used in festivals and processions outside the temple. The ‘half horse’ would have been kept against a backdrop adorned with floral garlands and vermillion.
Shiva was, and still is, the tutelary deity of Maharashtra, originally being a tribal protective deity. As Khandoba, he was widely worshipped throughout this region and contiguous areas of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andra Pradesh where he is also called Mallanna and Khanderao. The traditional vahana (vehicle) of Shiva is Nandi, the bull, however in the form of Khandoba he is usually portrayed on horseback and occasionally on a camel or elephant.
Size (cms): 35(H) x 10.5(W) x 18(D)
Size (inches): 14(H) x 4(W) x 7(D)
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Maharashtra/ Karnataka
brass alloy
This finely modelled brass horse is most likely a procession image or Utsav Murti. Its primary function was to be used in festivals and processions outside the temple. The ‘half horse’ would have been kept against a backdrop adorned with floral garlands and vermillion.
Shiva was, and still is, the tutelary deity of Maharashtra, originally being a tribal protective deity. As Khandoba, he was widely worshipped throughout this region and contiguous areas of Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andra Pradesh where he is also called Mallanna and Khanderao. The traditional vahana (vehicle) of Shiva is Nandi, the bull, however in the form of Khandoba he is usually portrayed on horseback and occasionally on a camel or elephant.
Size (cms): 38(H) x 22.5(W) x 14(D)
Size (inches): 15(H) x 9(W) x 5.5(D)
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Maharashtra/Karnataka
Wood polychromed
An attractive folk carousel animal in the shape of a horse with original polychroming.
The horse played a pivotal role in establishing the supremacy of kings, as demonstrated, for instance by the great horse sacrifice, the Ashvamedha, which might have been established in the course of the Vedic period. Equestrian motifs appear prominently in Indian art, for example in Orissan sculpture of the 12th and 13th centuries, and in that of the late Vijaynagara and Nayak periods (early 16th to early 18th century) in southern India. There is a branch of literature specialising in the training of horses, which contains detailed passages on colouring, proportions, gait, auspicious and inauspicious marks and lists of appropriate names for horses.
Size (cms): 54.5(H) x 71.5(W) x 10.5(D)
Size (inches): 21.5(H) x 28(W) x 4(D)
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Karnataka
Wood polychromed
A delightful, richly polychromed horse vahana that would have been a part of a processional figure depicting the Goddess Durga. Every year, during Navratri, processional images of the Goddess are carried in evocative ceremonies. Depending on the day of the festival, her vahana, the vehicle on which she rides changes, with each of her vehicles holding a different and unique significance. The horse she rides here signifies her readiness for battle.
The horse played a pivotal role in establishing the supremacy of kings, as demonstrated, for instance by the great horse sacrifice, the Ashvamedha, which might have been established in the course of the Vedic period. Equestrian motifs appear prominently in Indian art, for example in Orissan sculpture of the 12th and 13th centuries, and in that of the late Vijaynagara and Nayak periods (early 16th to early 18th century) in southern India. There is a branch of literature specialising in the training of horses, which contains detailed passages on colouring, proportions, gait, auspicious and inauspicious marks and lists of appropriate names for horses.
Size (cms): 40(H) x 31(W) x 16(D)
Size (inches): 15.5(H) x 12(W) x 6.5(D)
