The molten gold colour of bronze graces the chhavi (image) of Devi Lakshmi. Given that She is the wife of Vishnu and the presiding deity over wealth and resources, it could not be more apt. On the pistil of an upturned lotus She stands, flanked by a pair of miniature elephants or ‘gaja’, which explains the epithet of Gajalakshmi or Lakshmi in the presence of the elephant.
The chaturbhujadharini (four-armed) Lakshmi murti that you see on this page draws heavily from Hoysala iconography, a standard of aesthetics and architecture that flourished under the patronage of the Hoysala rulers of Karnataka in the 14th and 15th centuries. The tapering crown, the ornate karnakundalas, and - most of all - the sharp-featured face are hallmarks of this style.
Lakshmi bears lotuses in Her posterior hands and blessing and fearlessness in the anterior ones. Zoom in on the richly adorned decolletage, the girdle, and fishtail sashes to appreciate the artisan’s attention to detail. All this has been executed using the basic solid cast, simply achieved by modelling in wax, sculpting the mould, and then pouring in the bronze to replace the molten wax (lost wax).
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