The popular Indian shepherd god Krishna is the 8th incarnation of the main Hindu god Vishnu (‘The Preserver’). As a young man Krishna played the flute, danced and liked to play with the pretty shepherdesses, the ‘gopi’.
The present standing female figure depicts such a young shepherdess, perhaps even the beautiful Radha, the subsequent spouse of the shepherd god Krishna. The metal sculpture is made of old yellow cast-alloy (brass/bronze), executed with ‘waste mould’ casting. It stands on an almost square, one-step plinth. Her clothes are finely decorated with dots and floral motifs. She wears necklaces and ornamental bangles on her arms and legs. Her arms are bent and it seems that she would have originally carried something in her clasping hands (now lost). Her hair, featuring a ringlet on the forehead, crest and bun at the back of the head, was once painted black. Traces of red sacrificial paste are to be found on her body and on the plinth. This very charming, fine and carefully sculpted female figure presents only minimal, negligible age-related damage: a hole and a small fracture at the plinth. Otherwise in perfect condition! Height: 20.5 cm, 19th century or earlier. (ME)

Provenance:
Austrian Private Collection.