Bronze Equestrian Sculpture

This well-made bronze piece is an Indian representation of an aristocrat or deity, as evidenced by the parasol being held over the head of the horseman. The group is compact and well-proportioned, on a low rectangular base with beaded borders, which suggests a southern Indian origin. The person/god is evidently of high status; even the horse is richly adorned. The person is accompanied by a servant who paces barefoot alongside the horse, perhaps a courtier or a devotee.

It is for religious art that Indian metalworkers are best known, and ity is possible to identify the majority of figures portrayed with reference to Hindu or Buddhist mythology. However, secular objects such as this are also known, representing either obscure religious themes or, more likely, everyday or at least mortal scenes that appealed to the sculptor. In this sense it is a striking and appealing piece of Indian art.