413 - SEATED BRONZE RISHI INDIA 15TH CENTURY

SEATED BRONZE RISHI INDIA 15TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 7,5 cm Wide 3,5 cm Depth 3,5 cm Weight: 126 grams A diminutive bronze of a seated holy man, depicting rishi. The bearded figure sits cross-legged on a stepped square base, his two hands raised with open palms in an emphatic, balanced gesture. A looped topknot rises above his head, and large earrings and a simple necklace frame the expressive face. The dark brown metal retains greenish oxidation around the folded legs and the lower pedestal. Rishis are revered in Hindu religious literature as seers and teachers whose spiritual authority derives from ascetic practice, insight and the transmission of sacred knowledge. Their imagery often privileges the concentrated body and communicative gesture over the elaborate weapons and attributes of divine figures.