Description Yama & Yami, (god of death for Hindou & Buddhist), in metal (copper?) repoussé, seemingly newar work, non gilded, modern handicraft. The little ring on the top is a recent way to hang on, that was not seen ( as far as I know) on the old repoussé. The quality of work is good althought repoussé have generally to be gilded which is not the case for this piece, perhaps as the gold is nowaday very expensive. Thanks to eric chazot for this explanation YAMA and YAMI The Rig-Veda, meaning 'praises of knowledge', is the first of the Four Vedas or sacred Indo-Aryan scriptures of the ancient Indian tradition, which may possibly date back to earlier than 1900 BC. In the verses of this most primordial of all written scriptural texts the origins of many of the great Vedic gods are given, including that of Yama and Yami, who were the first two mortal humans to be born upon this world. As primordial twins they were born from the union of Surya, the Sun God, and his wife Sanjna, whose name means 'Conscience'. The original implied meaning of the male Vedic name Yama was 'twin', but the term later came to mean 'restrainer', or more precisely 'the restrained one'. And the female name Yami commonly relates to a 'sister', who later was personified as Yamuna, one of the great river-goddesses of India. As twins Yama and Yami were conceived and delivered from Sanjna's womb, and as in the legend of Adam and Eve from the Book of Genesis, they were both likewise born into a garden of earthly delights. In this natural paradise time seemed to stand still, it was always daytime and the season was always spring-like, the sun always shone while the moon and stars remained hidden behind its brilliant light. The fragrant flowers never wilted, the trees always bore an abundance of delicious fruits, the birds sang sweetly, and all the creatures of the earth lived in harmony with one another. And likewise did Yama and Yami live in harmony with one another, and as they grew so did their love for each other blossom. But the restrained sentiments of Yama were different from that of his sister Yami, who sought to unite with her twin brother in an incestuous relationship. Datation Between 1950 to 1970 Provenance Belgium private Collection DB Condition Very good condition and a newar work impossible to found in this quality today