A CORAL AND TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF... Lot n° 298

A CORAL AND TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF INDRA, NEPAL, 19TH CENTURY Seated in lalitasana supporting himself on his left hand while the right rests on his knee, the soles of his feet with floral medallions. His dhoti densely incised with scrolling vines on a ring-punched ground, secured at the waist by a sash with a floral buckle, a single strap draped across his bare chest. His serene face with heavy-lidded eyes, elegantly arched brows, and a central urna beneath an elaborate tiara with his curling hair falling down his shoulders. The elaborate foliate jewelry finely inlaid with coral and turquoise. The tiara is secured to the head by a crossbar along the back. The hair is pulled up into a high chignon with a single glass inlay. Provenance: French trade. Condition: Good condition with minor wear, casting flaws, few inlays lost, rubbing, small nicks, and minor old soldering repairs. The bronze with a naturally grown, dark patina. Weight: 4,156 g Dimensions: Height 26.1 cm Indra is a Vedic god known as the king of all other gods, as well as the deity of war, and of the sky, adopted into the Newar Hindu pantheon and exalted as the giver of rain. As such, images like this are rarely found in India, but common in Nepal. His horizontal third eye distinguishes him from other Hindu deities, as does his distinctive single-crested crown.