502 - DELICATE SHRINE OF SHIVA INDIA 18TH CENTURY

DELICATE SHRINE OF SHIVA INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 8,8 cm Wide 5,2 cm Depth 4,5 cm Weight: 139 grams A delicate miniature bronze shrine arranged beneath an openwork arched canopy and crowned by a fan-shaped finial. Several small sacred figures occupy the interior around a central upright form, while the entire ensemble rises from a high stepped pedestal. The tiny scale is offset by an unusually rich architecture: pierced scrolls, flared feet, moulded bands and finely incised details transform the object into a complete portable shrine rather than a single freestanding figure. The central arrangement evokes the intimate, multi-figural character of domestic Hindu worship, where a principal sacred presence may be accompanied by related deities, attendants and symbolic forms. The compact setting brings architecture and iconography together, turning the whole object into a miniature ritual environment. The warm golden surface is darkened in the recesses and retains traces of reddish material in several areas, particularly around the central figures. These variations emphasise the depth of the openwork and give the tiny shrine a surprisingly layered appearance. Its appeal lies in the amount of visual information condensed into less than nine centimetres: altar, canopy, figures and ornament all remain legible at close range.