Nepalese Bronze Figure, XIX Century.

Great figure made of patinated bronze that probably comes from a Temple in Nepal. The figure was made in the late 19th century and is quite big, weighing around eight kilos. This is a valuable certified antique which probably belonged to some Nepalese temple. It is in excellent condition and its spiritual beauty has survived greatly to our days. The figure comes with a certificate of authenticity issued by the Reales Atarazanas de Zaragoza in 1998, which states that the figure was made in the late 19th century and has a Nepalese government stamp allowing its exportation. This stamp is missing, but the certificate is still applicable because of the Spanish entitys prestige.The figure depicts a half-kneeling man, with his left knee lifted and in attitude of prayer. The dark brown blued bronze is profusely adorned with golden details such as the crown, the earrings or the cobras which coil around the figures neck and wrists. The man is kneeling on a square pedestal and in front of him there is a spectacled cobra, a sacred animal in Hindu religion. The sculpture and the cobra are free-standing and can be removed from the pedestal: they both have small metal spigots which can be inserted in the pedestals holes.The winged that cover the figures shoulders and back are also removable. This characters identity is somewhat confuse: it is very probably some Hindu deity though he bears symbols of different gods. We could think it is a representation of Shiva because of the cobra that coils around his neck and the third eye in the middle of his forehead; but Shiva is commonly a female deity and has no wings. On the other hand, there are also winged gods like Garuda or Kama, the Hindu god of love; and the spectacled cobra has its own place in Hindu mythology as a powerful deity, being also worshipped during the Hindu festival of Nag Panchami.Measurements: Width: 450 mm. Height: 550 mm (with pedestal).