Archival Details

• Tradition: Chola Bronze
• Period: 900s–1000s
• Medium: bronze
• Dimensions: Overall: 46.7 x 20.4 x 15.4 cm (18 3/8 x 8 1/16 x 6 1/16 in.); Base: 11.4 x 15.2 cm (4 1/2 x 6 in.)
• Credit line: The Norweb Collection
• Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession 1956.7

Chola-period bronzes were cast in South India, chiefly under the Chola dynasty (9th–13th century), using the lost-wax (cire perdue) process. Temple workshops in Tamil Nadu produced processional images of Shaiva and Vaishnava deities that were carried in festival rituals, and the tradition is widely regarded as a high point of Indian metal sculpture for its fluid modeling and iconographic precision.