GODDESS (?) WITH OVERLY-LARGE HANDS. Yellow bronze. India, Bastar, 19th cent. HEIGHT 11,9 CM
This Bastar bronze is a very strange and perhaps quite old depiction; first brings to mind the ape-king Hanuman – a guardian deity that was often adored by villagers. However, it has defined feminine attributes: the head, especially the ears and mouth, bears some similarities to an ape’s. Viewing the head in profile, a more feminine impression begins to take effect. The arms are slender, the hands grotesquely large and the fingers are represented by simple jagged cuts on the edges. Very good patina.
Bronzes from indigenous Bastar tribes were always cult-related, and crafted by specialized bronze-founders who travelled the land. The Baster region lies in the southernmost part of Madhya Pradesh, in Southeast- Central India.​​​ Old genuine bronze items from this region are becoming increasingly rare and hard to find in India, as it was customary for tribes to melt old bronzes together in order to craft new ones. The quite juvenile and childish appearance of this tribal authenticity presents a special appeal to us!