Magic of Bronze

Bronze is an alloy which is obtained from the mixing of metals Copper and Tin. Exquisite and beauteous figures have been made in this medium. The earliest bronze sculpture in India perhaps dates back to 2500 BC, the Dancing Girl  from Mohenjodaro. The figure is in an interesting tubular form. From the Kushan period, images of Jain Tirthankaras have been found at Chausa, Bihar, of the 2nd century. Gupta and post Gupta era bronzes include  Standing Buddha images with right hand in abhaya mudra or gesture of fearlessness, which were cast in North India, during the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries. Vakataka dynasty bronze images of the Buddha from Phophnar, Maharashtra, are from the 3rd century and resemble Amravati art of Andhra Pradesh.

The legacy of the dynasties that once ruled medieval South India is still alive through their monumental temples and iconic metal images that they created. From the 8th to 16th century, these images were made, mainly in the Tamil regions of Thanjavur and Tiruchchirapalli. The art of fashioning bronze images is still practised in South India, particularly in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu.

Starting with the late Pallava period, during 8th and 9th centuries, the bronze sculpture reached heights of glory during 10th to the 12th century under the Cholas in Tamil Nadu. During the tenth century, the royal patron was the widowed Chola queen; Sembiyan Maha Devi. Exquisite figures with a high degree of craftsmanship was the hallmark of the artform. 

The image here is of the queen Sembiyan as Parvati.

A bronze figure is made through the lost-wax process, an ancient process. The same holds for brass (alloy of copper and zinc) as well. Technically it is known as Cire Perdure. The Shilpa Shastras call it the Madhu Uchchishtta Vidhana. The process starts with mixing of beeswax and kungilium with a little oil. It is kneaded well and from it, the desired figure is made. Fine details are sculpted into it. This forms  the wax model in original. The figure is made according to instructions in the Shilpa Shastras. The dimensions, proportions,  posture,  ornaments, the mudras, meaning  gesture, and the bhavas, here meaning expression, are followed very strictly.

The museum has a good collection of bronzes from all parts of India and from different periods of history. There are bronzes from South India; Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Mysore, also Central India, Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Burma (now Myanmar) and Nepal.  However images from South India are more in number and dominate the collection.  There are Natarajas and figures of other Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina deities. Some tribal and decorative objects are also part of the collection.

Let us take a look at these beautiful bronze creations and also understand the scope and canvas of South Indian bronzes and metalwork.

Bronze/brass hollow cast gilded figure of a reclining Nandi, the bull vahana or vehicle of Lord Shiva, from Mysore, dated to the 16th century.

Brass sandals or paduka fitted over a dome shaped terraced base, hollow inside, engraved to represent spotted designs and square panels at the base, from South India, dated to the 18th century.

Figure of rider on horseback holding a trident in left hand and a drum in the right hand. It may presumably be a Shaivite devotee, a bronze folk piece, from South India, dated to the 19th century.