This brass statue of a normal two-armed celestial woman abounding in timeless youth and unfading beauty installed on a tall lotus pedestal represents Lakshmi, Lord Vishnu’s consort and the goddess manifesting riches, fertility, abundance, prosperity, success and accomplishment, and sustenance as also represented ultimate beauty and absolute womanhood.
Lakshmi is known by many names: Shri, Padmavati, Kamala, Dharini, Vaishnavi, Narayani … and variants like Gajalakshmi when she is represented with a pair of white elephants bathing her with milk brought in golden pots from Kshirasagara, the ocean of milk; however, the iconographic traditions of all such forms perceive her as four or even multi-armed carrying invariably in two of them lotuses.
Her two-armed form, something most normal, as also the multi-armed almost rigidified in visual arts, is the artistic interpretation of her form in texts. With its three Suktas devoted to Lakshmi, though by her name as Shri, Lakshmi being a later addition, , the Rig-Veda is the earliest text to allude to Lakshmi. The Rig-Veda perceives Shri as equaling an army well accomplished with horses, chariots, elephants … and considers a house as the most blessed if Shri makes it her perpetual abode. Obviously the Rig-Veda associates Lakshmi with riches and abundance but says nothing expressly about her anatomy or form.
The Atharva-Veda, subsequent to the Rig-Veda, hails her as large-breasted full of milk capable of feeding the universe and becomes the earliest text to allude to an aspect of Lakshmi’s anatomy. The ‘Devi-Mahatmya’ in Markandeya Purana that perceives her as one of the three manifestations of the Devi by the name of Mahalakshmi, Lakshmi’s initial form, provides a more elaborate vision of her. It perceives her as the goddess of battlefield carrying a number of attributes and thus visualizes, not manifestly but suggestively, her multi-armed form. The Rig-Vedic Lakshmi, the goddess by invocation, is mythicized into a role in Devi-Mahatmya.
Lakshmi’s personalized form, not the deity’s or the feeding mother’s, emerges in Vishnu Purana like later texts where she stands in relation to Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe, as his humble consort massaging his feet and serving upon him, a fully domesticated form almost completely concretized into passivity as representing riches, abundance, fertility … that Lord Vishnu uses in his act of sustaining and upholding creation.
Again as before, such texts do not mention, at least expressly, as to the number of hands that this normal wife of Vishnu had but as a normal woman should have in this new form Lakshmi’s anatomy has been visualized with normal two hands. Endowed with great aesthetic charm and oceans of wealth the most devoted coy consort of Vishnu perpetually engaged in massaging his feet is usually the common man's image of Lakshmi and is usually two-armed. Thus, while a multi-armed forms represent her votive image – the deity-form, the normal two-armed, aesthetic and personal.
Apart the great divine aura, unfading beauty and timeless youth, the attributes that texts associate with Lakshmi as the essence of her being, which this statue of the goddess manifests, her towering Vaishnava crown, ‘makara-kundalas’ – ear-ornaments, that she is wearing, both essentially the attributes of Vaishnava icons, and prevalence of lotus element, one being held by her in her left hand, and other, as her seat being pervaded by her, reveal the identity of the represented figure as goddess Lakshmi.
The Rig-Veda lauds her as ‘hiranya-kaya’ – gold-bodied; in every exactness her figure in the statue abounds in the same golden lustre further magnified by the colour of her wear, magenta, a mystique in colours as blending into any it transforms it into another, the same as would the goddess when she blesses any with her presence.
Normally her two-armed aesthetic image is her personalized form manifesting when she is with her Lord Vishnu serving upon him or otherwise; however, such personal aspect of the image has been as powerfully revealed in the poise of her figure : completely informal, romantically postured and sensuously modeled. Highly innovative, the artist has conceived her waistband with a buckle consisting of elephant-trunks, an essential element of her imagery it further emphasizes her identity as Lakshmi and, perhaps, also her Gaja-Lakshmi form.
This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.
How to keep a Brass statue well-maintained?
Brass statues are known and appreciated for their exquisite beauty and luster. The brilliant bright gold appearance of Brass makes it appropriate for casting aesthetic statues and sculptures. Brass is a metal alloy composed mainly of copper and zinc. This chemical composition makes brass a highly durable and corrosion-resistant material. Due to these properties, Brass statues and sculptures can be kept both indoors as well as outdoors. They also last for many decades without losing all their natural shine.
Brass statues can withstand even harsh weather conditions very well due to their corrosion-resistance properties. However, maintaining the luster and natural beauty of brass statues is essential if you want to prolong their life and appearance.
In case you have a colored brass statue, you may apply mustard oil using a soft brush or clean cloth on the brass portion while for the colored portion of the statue, you may use coconut oil with a cotton cloth.
Brass idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses are especially known for their intricate and detailed work of art. Nepalese sculptures are famous for small brass idols portraying Buddhist deities. These sculptures are beautified with gold gilding and inlay of precious or semi-precious stones. Religious brass statues can be kept at home altars. You can keep a decorative brass statue in your garden or roof to embellish the area and fill it with divinity.
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