Subrahmanya (also known as Karttikeya, Kumara, etc.)
Indian
Description
March 28, 2009
From his bulging belly to his gracefully modeled nose, this figure of Shiva’s son Subrahmanya reflects bronze casting techniques perfected over centuries in India. Like most bronze icons made for use in temples and home shrines, it was created through the lost wax method, a process that became highly refined between the ninth and thirteenth centuries under South India’s Chola kings. The process combines sculpture, ceramics, and metallurgy: images are molded—whole or in parts—in beeswax and tree resin; next, details such as jewelry and fabric patterns are added with a wooden chisel; and finally, the wax model is encased in clay and baked. The completed mold is filled with a heated alloy of copper, lead, and tin. Once cool, the mold is broken to reveal the image. Each bronze is unique, since the molds can only be used once; in some images, finishing work with a chisel contributes yet another layer of individualized craftsmanship.
(Label for UMMA South and Southeast Asia Gallery Opening Rotation, March 2009)
Subject Matter:
Subrahmanya stands on a tiered base which starts square and sloped, then is square and straight up and then round sloped with an incised decoration, then flanged out as a base for the figure to stand. He stands in an unbending pose and has four hands. Reading in a clockwise direction form the right front hand they are: in a reassuring gesture [abhyaya mudra], holding a vajra [a symbol of lightening], holding a symbol of a spear [actually what can be read as the head of the spear], and in a gesture of giving [varada mudra]. He wears a lung from his waist decorated with incised pattern and a lot of jewelry including belts with pendants, necklaces a decorated beaded sacred thread, large earring and an elaborate crown.
Physical Description:
Subrahmanya stands on a tiered base which starts square and sloped, then is square and straight up and then round sloped with an incised decoration, then flanged out as a base for the figure to stand. He stands in an unbending pose and has four hands. Reading in a clockwise direction form the right front hand they are: in a reassuring gesture [abhyaya mudra], holding a vajra [a symbol of lightening], holding a symbol of a spear [actually what can be read as the head of the spear], and in a gesture of giving [varada mudra]. He wears a lung from his waist decorated with incised pattern and a lot of jewelry including belts with pendants, necklaces a decorated beaded sacred thread, large earring and an elaborate crown.
Usage Rights:
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