Figurine - Shiva Mukhalinga - Bronze

Shiva Mukhalinga. Cast bronze using the lost wax process and chased.
The Mukha (face) Linga in bronze was used to give a face to the abstract Linga of Shiva.
The Linga is a phallic symbol representing Shiva's power and his mystical nature.
This Mukhalinga for a domestic altar is an expression of popular ritual art, almost tribal and grotesque, from the villages of Maharashtra and the Deccan in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Good condition, worn and polished by devotional use.
Height 13 cm, weight 530 g.
India, Maharashtra or Karnataka, 18th / 19th century.