503 - STANDING SURYA SILVER ? INDIA 18TH CENTURY

STANDING SURYA SILVER ? INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 17,5 cm Wide 8,5 cm Depth 5 cm Weight: 1083 grams with base A standing figure of Surya, the Hindu sun god, shown frontally on a lotus pedestal and holding a lotus stem in each hand. The deity wears a tall tiered crown, large earrings, necklaces, armlets and a short dhoti secured by an ornate girdle. The rigid symmetry of the stance is softened by the curving lotus stalks rising beside the shoulders and by the long ornamental elements falling along the body. Surya is traditionally represented as a majestic frontal deity, his paired lotuses identifying him with solar radiance, vitality and cosmic order. The deliberate symmetry of such images is central to their effect, giving the god an iconic stillness rather than the narrative movement seen in many other Hindu subjects. The surface is heavily oxidised and bears mineral accretions, particularly on the reverse and lower areas, while the principal iconographic features remain clearly readable.