Votive bronze statue depicting a male deity, South India, Late...

Votive bronze statue depicting a male deity, South India, Late Chola or Early Post-Chola period, 13th–14th century. H: 22 cm. The figure, standing in a frontal and hieratic pose, is placed beneath a torana bordered with flame-shaped motifs and surmounted by a kīrtimukha. It is depicted with two arms, the hands open toward the front; any attributes have not survived. Given this iconography and comparable Chola models depicting a two-armed male deity, identification as Skanda (Murugan) can be proposed, though with caution due to the absence of his principal attribute, the vel, or his mount, the peacock. The small size of the central figure explains the relative simplicity of its modeling. The entire piece is cast in several sections assembled on a rectangular architectural base.