Statue, No reserve! - Deepalakshmi - 19th c. - 10 cm - Bronze





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Bronze Deepalakshmi statuette lamp from 19th-century India, about 10 cm high, 5 cm wide and 7 cm deep, unsigned, in very good condition with provenance Galerie/Antiquaire.
Description from the seller
Small statuette/oil lamp Deepalakshmi
South India
19th century
Bronze
Dimensions: 10 cm x 5 cm x 7 cm
A Deepalakshmi is a major iconographic and ritual object of traditional Indian art, particularly widespread in South India and in the Deccan.
The term combines deepa (lamp/light) and Lakshmi (the Hindu goddess of prosperity, fortune and beauty). Although named after Lakshmi, the carved figure most often represents a servant, a devotee (apsara or dasi) or the personified representation of the ritual light carried to the divine rather than a sovereign goddess. It embodies perpetual devotion, hospitality, auspiciousness (sattva) and the dispelling of darkness.
The statue stands here upright in a frontal posture on a lotus pedestal. It holds in front of its bust an oil vessel with a pouring spout intended for devotion. The silhouette is distinguished by its high coiffure, finely engraved adornments, and decorative elements at the shoulders. Embodiment of welcome and perpetual devotion, it symbolises the divine light guiding domestic and temple altars. The lost-wax cast reveals a patina of age-old use in golden and brown tones. The whole constitutes a refined and complete testament to popular Indian bronze work.
The lamp is meant to be filled with oil or ghee and is equipped with a cotton wick. It is lit during daily ceremonies or ritual festivals in domestic shrines and temples. To offer a Deepalakshmi to a temple was an act of great piety. The statue sometimes represented the donor himself or herself in an idealised form, ensuring their devoted permanent presence before the deity.
Very good overall condition for its age. Beautiful patina.
Provenance: Kanaka The Collection, Portugal
Sent with UPS and insured
Seller's Story
Small statuette/oil lamp Deepalakshmi
South India
19th century
Bronze
Dimensions: 10 cm x 5 cm x 7 cm
A Deepalakshmi is a major iconographic and ritual object of traditional Indian art, particularly widespread in South India and in the Deccan.
The term combines deepa (lamp/light) and Lakshmi (the Hindu goddess of prosperity, fortune and beauty). Although named after Lakshmi, the carved figure most often represents a servant, a devotee (apsara or dasi) or the personified representation of the ritual light carried to the divine rather than a sovereign goddess. It embodies perpetual devotion, hospitality, auspiciousness (sattva) and the dispelling of darkness.
The statue stands here upright in a frontal posture on a lotus pedestal. It holds in front of its bust an oil vessel with a pouring spout intended for devotion. The silhouette is distinguished by its high coiffure, finely engraved adornments, and decorative elements at the shoulders. Embodiment of welcome and perpetual devotion, it symbolises the divine light guiding domestic and temple altars. The lost-wax cast reveals a patina of age-old use in golden and brown tones. The whole constitutes a refined and complete testament to popular Indian bronze work.
The lamp is meant to be filled with oil or ghee and is equipped with a cotton wick. It is lit during daily ceremonies or ritual festivals in domestic shrines and temples. To offer a Deepalakshmi to a temple was an act of great piety. The statue sometimes represented the donor himself or herself in an idealised form, ensuring their devoted permanent presence before the deity.
Very good overall condition for its age. Beautiful patina.
Provenance: Kanaka The Collection, Portugal
Sent with UPS and insured

