INDIA, KERALA, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY AND LATER

Details

Two Brass Lamps
India, Kerala, circa 16th Century and later
One of circular-form suspended on a chain, with an inset frieze of Lakshmi flanked by two elephants beneath an openwork arch, all intricately cast; the other in mythical beast-form, with the well issuing from the fangs of a makara, the details finely delineated with incised lines
14¾ and 17½ in. wide (37.4 and 44.4 cm.) wide (2)

Lot Essay

The inset finial depicts Shri-Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and abundance, being bathed by two elephants. The elephants are a metaphor for the water-laden clouds of the monsoon season, making the earth fertile; for a similar example, see P. Pal, Divine Images, Human Visions, 1997, fig. 30, p. 37.

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