An inscribed brass figure of a horse, India, Maharashtra or Karnataka, circa 1600

An inscribed brass figure of a horse
India, Maharashtra or Karnataka, circa 1600

Height 16 in., 40.8 cm

Condition Report:
There is 2.2 cm casting hole to the the reverse of the back right leg. There is a casting flaw to the underside for the front right foot, other wise good condition. Dents and scratches consistent with age. Patina is well patinated.

Catalogue Note:
Powerfully cast standing foursquare, caparisoned in a saddle with broad side flaps secured by a belled tail strap and a harness with inscriptions, a braided leather bridle with forehead pendant, and a twisted rope neckband, ears pricked in an attentive attitude, with further inscription on his left foreleg.

The design of the saddle is attributed to the late Akbar period. The inscriptions on the horse's chest and left thigh can be deciphered as follows: right side of chest, name of guru, Shree Adam Prabha; left side of chest, Vasgorda Lingoda Pahl (?) Mann, likely the sponsor; left leg, Krisna Otan Kagalkar Yaanekela, made by Krishna Kagalkar. For another example, see M. Zebrowski, Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India, 1997, fig. 119, p. 106.

Earlier figures of horses favor more naturalistic features, whereas later figures of the 18th - 19th centuries become more conventionalized with the horse displaying enlarged legs, heads out of proportion, intricate decorations and folkish qualities.

Provenance:
Christie's New York, 21st March 2007, lot 267.