A PAIR OF BRASS FIGURES OF RAMA AND LAKSHMANA


ORISSA, CIRCA 16TH CENTURY10 in. (25.4 cm) high, the taller;9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm) high, the shorter
|The divine brothers Rama and Lakshmana are depicted as heroic figures, standing with their raised arms holding (now lost) bows and arrows separately cast. Their fingers are decked with rings and their hair is arranged into buns of finely chased strands. This pair of sculptures was produced at a peak of later Orissan brass sculpture typified by high abstraction, fulsome proportions, crisply chased details, and heavy castings of glistening honey-colored brass. A closely related sculpture of Radha was sold at Sotheby's, New York, 19 March 2008, lot 295. Later c.17th-century examples such as a Dancing Krishna in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (M.87.124), highlight by contrast the higher craftsmanship of the current pair. The matching poses follow medieval iconographic prescriptions, with Lakshmana appearing slightly diminutive in size and posture relative to his older brother Rama. Provenance Ex-Collection of Cavas Gobhai, Massachusetts, assembled 1960s-1980s