This sinuous and dynamic sculpture, created in the ‘madhuchista vidhana’ or lost wax technique of bronze casting, presents the majestic image of a dancing figure striking an iconic pose with her right hand raised up and her left hand hanging pendent. In her fluidic movement, we see her left leg outstretched, revealing her finely draped clothing. The ‘sthapati’ has meticulously detailed every single pleat, presenting in front of us an ornate vision of the ancient dancer that was highly respected in Indian households and temples. She is gracefully poised on top of a raised narrow pedestal.
Her idealised and curvaceous body is bejewelled with multiple ornaments, earrings, neckpieces, girdles, and tassels. In an unusual yet distinctly unique manner, her hair is styled in a bun against the side of her head, which adds to the intrigue and beauty of this ‘panchaloha’ image. In South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, this stylisation was a regular feature of a woman’s dress.
The notion of dance has had a powerful connotation in the mythology and reality of Hinduism. Shiva’s cosmic powers of creation and destruction are embodied in his magnificent tandava, just as Krishna’s mischievous yet righteous nature embodied his dance over the hood of the serpent Kaliya. The Natyashastra, our preeminent treatise on dance, has truly been foundational in philosophising about the celestial power and splendour of the act; this historical legacy in turn therefore makes such an image truly spectacular and visually iconic.
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