Indian Bronze Sculpture Chapter Notes | Fine Art for Class 11 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Introduction

• Indian sculptors excelled in bronze medium and casting process
• Cire-perdu or 'lost-wax' process used for casting was learned during Indus Valley Culture
• Alloy of metals, copper, zinc and tin, known as bronze, discovered

Bronze Sculptures and Statuettes

• Buddhist, Hindu and Jain icons discovered from various regions of India from 2nd century to 16th century
• Used for ritual worship and characterized by exquisite beauty and aesthetic appeal
• Metal-casting process also used for making articles for daily use

Early Bronze Sculptures

• "Dancing Girl" from Mohenjodaro considered earliest bronze sculpture dating back to 2500 BCE
• Limbs and torso of female figurine simplified in tubular form
• Similar group of bronze statuettes discovered from Daimabad (Maharashtra) dating back to 1500 BCE
• Significant "Chariot" sculpture with simple circular wheels, elongated human rider and sturdy bulls in forefront

Jain Bronzes

• Interesting Jain tirthankaras images discovered from Chausa, Bihar, belonging to Kushana period (2nd century CE)
• Depiction of Adinath or Vrishabhnath identified with long hairlocks
• Famous hoard of Jain bronzes found at Akota, on outskirts of Baroda, dated between end of 5th and end of 7th century CE
• Finely cast through lost-wax process and often inlaid with silver and copper to highlight details
• Many famous Jain bronzes from Chausa in Bihar are kept in Patna Museum

Bronze Casting in Western India

• Hoard of bronzes discovered in Akota near Vadodara established that bronze casting was practiced in Gujarat or western India between 6th and 9th centuries
• Most images represent Jain tirthankaras like Mahavira, Parshvanath or Adinath
• New format invented with tirthankaras seated on a throne
• Female images cast representing yakshinis or Shasanadevis of prominent tirthankaras
• Stylistically influenced by features of both Gupta and Vakataka period bronzes

Standing Buddha Images

• Many standing Buddha images with right hand in abhaya mudra cast in North India during Gupta and Post-Gupta periods (5th-7th centuries)
• Sanghati or monk's robe wrapped to cover shoulders and turns over right arm
• Pleats held by extended hand of same arm
• Folds of drapery treated in a series of drooping down curves
• Sarnath-style bronzes have foldless drapery
• Vakataka bronze images of Buddha from Phophnar, Maharashtra, contemporary with Gupta period bronzes 
• Influence of Amaravati style, significant change in draping style of monk's robe, Buddha's right hand in abhaya mudra is free.

The Lost-Wax Process and Bronze Casting Techniques in India

• The lost-wax process is a metal-making technique used in several regions of India.
• Different regions use slightly different techniques for this process.
• The process involves creating a wax model of an image, coating it with clay, and then pouring molten metal into it.
• Bronze casting demands a high degree of skill and patience.

Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, and West Bengal Regions

• These regions produced bronze images of Buddhist and Hindu deities from the 8th to the 10th centuries.
• A noteworthy development is the growth of different types of iconography of Vishnu images.
• Four-headed Vishnu, also known as Chaturanana or Vaikuntha Vishnu, was worshipped in these regions.
• The Narasimha avatar and Mahishasuramardini Durga images of Himachal Pradesh are among the very dynamic bronzes from that region.

Buddhist Centers

• In Buddhist centers like Nalanda, a school of bronze-casting emerged around the 9th century during the rule of the Pala Dynasty in Bihar and Bengal regions.
• The sculptors at Kurkihar near Nalanda were able to revive the classical style of the Gupta period.
• A remarkable bronze is of a four-armed Avalokitesvara, which is a good example of a male figure in graceful tribhanga posture.
• Images of Tara became very popular.

South India

• The bronze casting technique and making of bronze images of traditional icons reached a high stage of development in South India during the medieval period.
• Bronze images were modelled and cast during the Pallava Period in the 8th and 9th centuries.
• Some of the most beautiful and exquisite statues were produced during the Chola Period in Tamil Nadu from the 10th to the 12th century.
• The distinguished patron during the 10th century was the widowed Chola queen, Sembiyan Maha Devi.
• Chola bronzes are the most sought-after collectors’ items by art lovers all over the world..

Nataraja

• Shiva is associated with the end of the cosmic world with which this dancing position is associated.
• In this Chola period bronze sculpture, Shiva has been shown balancing himself on his right leg and suppressing the apasmara, the demon of ignorance or forgetfulness, with the foot of the same leg.
• At the same time, he raises his left leg in bhujangatrasita stance, which represents tirobhava, that is kicking away the veil of maya or illusion from the devotee’s mind.
• His four arms are outstretched and the main right hand is posed in abhaya hasta or the gesture suggesting.
• The upper right holds the damaru, his favorite musical instrument, to keep on the beat tala.
• The upper left hand carries a flame while the main left hand is held in dola hasta and connects with the abhaya hasta of the right hand.
• His hair locks fly on both sides touching the circular jvala mala or the garland of flames that surrounds the entire dancing figuration.

Conclusion

• The lost-wax process and bronze casting techniques have a long and rich history in India.
• The art of fashioning bronze images is still skillfully practiced in South India, particularly in Kumbakonam.
• Bronze images of traditional icons are highly valued by art lovers around the world.