Lot 166b, Auction 4/20/2026: 18th C. Indian Brass Durga Shrine Figure

$1,430.00

In stock

South Asia, India, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A finely cast brass shrine figure of the Hindu goddess Durga, shown standing in contrapposto with her weight upon one leg, her form animated with power and grace. The goddess is represented with seven surviving arms (originally eight, with one now lost from the proper right side), each once intended to bear divine attributes symbolizing her role as the supreme force who defeats evil. She grasps a bow in one hand, the weapon with which she slays the buffalo demon Mahishasura, recalling her most celebrated myth in which she embodies the combined power of the gods to restore cosmic order. Durga is crowned with a tall conical headdress and adorned with heavy necklaces, bangles, and earrings, emphasizing her status as a celestial queen. Size: 4.5″ L x 7″ W x 10.9″ H (11.4 cm x 17.8 cm x 27.7 cm)

Her figure is backed by a radiating aureole with serrated flame-like edges, a classic motif underscoring her divine, fiery energy (shakti). She stands upon a stepped plinth, the surface engraved with lotus-petal motifs, grounding the goddess within a sacred context of ritual devotion.

Figures such as this one would have been placed on personal household shrines or used in regional temple settings as an object of daily puja (worship). Brass devotional figures from this period often display a robust, simplified modeling that reflects both folk and classical traditions of South India. This example, with its bold form, stylized jewelry, and rhythmic posture, embodies the goddess’s paradoxical duality as both nurturing mother and fierce warrior.

Condition: Figure, base, and backing are detachable from one another. Durga is missing one of her proper right arms as well as implement in one right hand. Fissures and areas of loss to base. Weathering to surface with nicks, abrasions, and loss of detail as shown. Scatted patina throughout.

Provenance: ex-P.T. collection, Queens, New York, USA

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