Rare 18th/19th Century Makaramukha Dakini Bronze Figure

A fine and very rare parcel-gilt polychrome bronze figure of Makaramukha Dakini, 18th/early 19th century, the elephant-headed deity with flaming red hair and wearing a crown, dancing on one leg on a supine figure, the jewellery and the face in gilt, supported on a waisted lotus pedestal. 15.55 in. high. Provenance: From the private collection of Robert Bleakley, cataloguer of Tibetan and Indian art, London, 1978-1982. Founding CEO and chairman of Sotheby's Australia, 1982-1998., *see the Capital Museum, Beijing for another example of this deity (with base missing)

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Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.

The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.

It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
Polychrome - Made or finished in many colours. For furniture, it is used to indicated a painted finish.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Oriental deities, bronze
- Dakini 10
- Tibetan deities 132
Oriental deities, Tibetan and Sino-Tibetan - Buddha and other deities 271
oriental objects - bronze, other objects 2,593