Sculpture, Brahma - Late 19th c. - 25 cm - Terracotta

Brahmā with Four Faces
End of the 19th century
India
Polychrome terracotta
Dimensions: 25 × 9 × 6.5 cm with base
height of the figure: 20 cm

Polychrome terracotta statuette representing Brahmā, creator deity of the Hindu pantheon, depicted standing and endowed with four faces arranged around the head, in accordance with his traditional iconography. These faces notably symbolize his omniscience and his gaze directed toward the four cardinal directions.

The deity is crowned with an imposing conical crown that is richly modeled and wears several relief adornments and necklaces. The different faces feature large, elongated eyes outlined in blue and black, red lips, and a tilaka painted on the forehead. The hair, treated in black, falls widely down the back.
He is represented with multiple arms. The hands and attributes, partially preserved, contribute to his iconographic identification. The body is clothed in a light dhoti with deeply modeled folds, complemented at the waist by a turquoise-blue scarf. The palette mainly combines ochre gold, blue, white, red, and black, giving the sculpture a particularly vivid character.

The expressive modeling, the sustained polychromy, and the popular character of the workmanship link the work to the tradition of polychrome terracotta religious sculptures from 19th-century India, probably created for devotional or domestic contexts.

Condition:
Usage wear with losses of polychromy, craquelure, and small chips. Some losses and old damages, notably on one of the feet. Old polychromy largely preserved. Mounted on a modern clear plexiglass base.

Provenance: Kanaka The Collection, Portugal

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