Page 88 - Maitri CollectionAsian Art Bonhams

3227
A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BABY KRISHNA
TAMIL NADU, NAYAK PERIOD, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY
3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm) high

$4,000 - 6,000

Krishna crawls gleefully, having secured a sizeable dollop of butter
from the unsuspecting gopis. His limbs and torso are beautifully cast
giving the impression of a healthy baby boy, and his self-concealing
pose prompts the haptic response to cradle and caress him. Clearly,
the bronze has been successful at this, given the patina’s rubbed
and glossy finish from persistent handling. The most frequented
touchpoints, such as his butter ball, buttocks, and left shoulder, have
given rise to a luminous brassy color emerging from the overall warm
coppery alloy.

Provenance
Private UK Collection
Jeremy Knowles, London, 15 November 2011

86 | BONHAMS