Archival Details
- Tradition: Chola Bronze
- Period: c. 1070
- Medium: bronze
- Dimensions: Overall: 50.8 x 25.4 x 17.8 cm (20 x 10 x 7 in.); Base: 23 x 18.3 cm (9 1/16 x 7 3/16 in.)
- Credit line: Gift of Katharine Holden Thayer
- Source: The Cleveland Museum of Art, accession 1970.62
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.