Bronze Utsava Murti Horse From Karnataka - 19th Century Style - Wine Jars This gilded cryptomeria zushi shrine

This gilded cryptomeria zushi shrine dates from the Meiji period (1868-1912) and inside Buddha sits atop a lotus throne and flanked by two crests from the Nagano Samurai clan

Korean furniture interiors are often finished internally with hanji

the composition is populated with a lively procession of stylised human figures and animals drawn from the natural world

5 x 81 (wxdxh cms)

See plate 137

Bronze Utsava Murti Horse From Karnataka - 19th Century Style - Wine Jars This gilded cryptomeria zushi shrineThis rare Indian bronze horse figure is most likely a procession image or Utsav Murti. Utsava Murti were portable festival images carried through the steets. The horse is a manifestation of Khandoba (a fearsome avatar of Lord Shiva). Khandoba (or Mallana in Andhra Pradesh) is manifest by the presence of his horse. After the festival, the figure would have returned to the temple. The horse has a central hole where a pole would have been affixed.