A RITUAL 'NANDI' BRONZE LAMP, EASTERN INDIA, WEST BENGAL OR ORISSA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
A RITUAL 'NANDI' BRONZE LAMP, EASTERN INDIA, WEST BENGAL OR ORISSA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Expert's note
The present object belongs to the tradition of figural ritual lamps of eastern India, most likely Odisha (former Orissa) or West Bengal, and depicts Nandi, the sacred bull and vahana (vehicle) of Shiva, in an unusually animated pose, leaping across a scrolling vegetal stem. Richly adorned with necklaces and ornamental trappings, Nandi carries on his back a tall cylindrical socket forming part of the lamp assembly. As Shiva's devoted attendant and vehicle, Nandi occupies a prominent place in Shaiva worship, his image traditionally positioned facing the linga in temples dedicated to the god. The ingenious integration of sacred imagery and ritual function, together with the dynamic treatment of the bull, lends our example a distinctive sculptural character.
A separately cast lamp element would originally have been inserted into the cylindrical socket rising from Nandi's back. This took the form of an oil reservoir or bowl, mounted on a short stem, which was filled with oil or ghee and fitted with a cotton wick projecting over its rim. The surviving bronze thus functioned as the sculptural support for the actual light source, combining the practical requirements of a rather primitive ritual lamp with the sacred imagery of Nandi.
Finely cast, the stand rising from a tiered lotus-petal base with beaded borders, supporting a sinuous flowering stem issuing scrolling tendrils and lotus buds. Above, Nandi is dynamically modeled in a leaping pose, his head raised and the powerful body richly adorned with harnesses, bells, and ornamental bands. A further lotus bud projects from the scrolling branch before him.
Provenance: French trade. By repute acquired from an old private estate in Paris, France.
Condition: Very good condition with wear and casting irregularities. Rubbing, little warping, minuscule losses, and tiny scattered nicks and warping to the base.
Weight: 1,009 g
Dimensions: Height 22 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a related ritual stand in the collection of the Cornell University.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 28 October 2022, lot 98
Price: GBP 2,550 or approx. EUR 3,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A brass gaja-simha candlestick, South India, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related figural conception and manner of casting, with the sacred animal incorporated into the functional structure of the lamp and supporting the upper lamp element on its back. Note the size (22.5 cm).
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A RITUAL 'NANDI' BRONZE LAMP, EASTERN INDIA, WEST BENGAL OR ORISSA, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Expert's note
The present object belongs to the tradition of figural ritual lamps of eastern India, most likely Odisha (former Orissa) or West Bengal, and depicts Nandi, the sacred bull and vahana (vehicle) of Shiva, in an unusually animated pose, leaping across a scrolling vegetal stem. Richly adorned with necklaces and ornamental trappings, Nandi carries on his back a tall cylindrical socket forming part of the lamp assembly. As Shiva's devoted attendant and vehicle, Nandi occupies a prominent place in Shaiva worship, his image traditionally positioned facing the linga in temples dedicated to the god. The ingenious integration of sacred imagery and ritual function, together with the dynamic treatment of the bull, lends our example a distinctive sculptural character.
A separately cast lamp element would originally have been inserted into the cylindrical socket rising from Nandi's back. This took the form of an oil reservoir or bowl, mounted on a short stem, which was filled with oil or ghee and fitted with a cotton wick projecting over its rim. The surviving bronze thus functioned as the sculptural support for the actual light source, combining the practical requirements of a rather primitive ritual lamp with the sacred imagery of Nandi.
Finely cast, the stand rising from a tiered lotus-petal base with beaded borders, supporting a sinuous flowering stem issuing scrolling tendrils and lotus buds. Above, Nandi is dynamically modeled in a leaping pose, his head raised and the powerful body richly adorned with harnesses, bells, and ornamental bands. A further lotus bud projects from the scrolling branch before him.
Provenance: French trade. By repute acquired from an old private estate in Paris, France.
Condition: Very good condition with wear and casting irregularities. Rubbing, little warping, minuscule losses, and tiny scattered nicks and warping to the base.
Weight: 1,009 g
Dimensions: Height 22 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a related ritual stand in the collection of the Cornell University.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 28 October 2022, lot 98
Price: GBP 2,550 or approx. EUR 3,600 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A brass gaja-simha candlestick, South India, 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the related figural conception and manner of casting, with the sacred animal incorporated into the functional structure of the lamp and supporting the upper lamp element on its back. Note the size (22.5 cm).
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
