I found this marvelous creatures at one of my very favorite spots, a cabinet of curiosities wonderland in New Hampshire run by a family of creatives. And now that I know of the existence of bronze creatures of this sort made by the Khond people of East Central India, which have only relatively recently become the subject of some attention, I will forever have an eye out for others. There is an excellent article about them on the Renzo Freschi Asian Antiques website here, which I've used as the basis for the bit of summary to follow.
These Khond animals and figures were made using the ancient “lost-wax” casting process, and further detailed using an even more complex technique--wholly covered with thin wax threads, which become metal when the cast is made, creating a network that looks like a texture, making them unique and immediately recognizable. Interestingly, the figures were not/ are not created by the Kondh themselves -who consider any activity other than farming and hunting as dishonorable- but by artisans belonging to the class of Hindu “untouchables” living on the outskirts of Kondh villages. Unions between the two groups were strictly forbidden, "but a century-long coexistence created an empathy that enabled the Hindu outcastes to become the interpreters of the Kondh imagination and to represent it as their own." Lots more about them to be read and learned.
I believe this creature, I might guess meant to represent a lamb or baby goat--that face! those ears!-- dates to the early 20th century or so. How not to completely love it I really don't know!
3 7/8" l x 2 1/4" t x 1 7/16" w. Beautiful antique condition, great patina on the bronze, wonderful presence, wonderful thing.
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