South Indian Bronzes: A Historical Survey of South Indian Sculpture with Iconographical Notes Based on Original Sources c9.81

c9.81

The figures of Natarāja illustrated in (Plates III and IV) approach each other very closely in style and decorative details; the oval form of the arch of flame is hardly met with in the later examples of this image. The example from the Brihadeswar temple is undoubtedly the best composition of its kind hitherto known to us. The fine modelling of the figure is distinctly superior to the example from the Madras Museum. The smiling expression of the face which recalls the words 'Kinchit prahasitānam' of the sculptors' Sanskrit text is also more finely rendered than in the other examples. One is almost inclined to attribute the masterpiece to the great sculptors of historical fame, Jaya, Parojaya or Bijaya. Although it does not look as old as the Kālākāla image (Plate I) it cannot be attributed to a period later than the second half of the tenth century. Compared with these three images the Natarāja from the Colombo museum lags far behind in conception and technical execution. The specimen from the collection of the Musée Guimet though closely follows in detail the Colombo image is much more crude in execution and is evidently a very modern work and compares poorly even with the latest example (plate XII) which was executed at the Victoria Technical Institute by a sculptor from Swamimalai in 1909. The image in the Hoozoor Kachery (treasury) in Tanjore¹ has no special merit compared with the foregoing examples. The examples given in Plates (VIII & XI) have some novel features which distinguish them from the previous examples. The image from Nallur in the Tanjore District (Plate VIII) is a clever study in movement and is also interesting for its iconographical peculiarity. The eight-handed Natarāja is comparatively rare in the Tamil country. This conception seems to be identical with that of the stone relief of Dancing Siva in the Ellora Caves (Fig. 12). The text of *Kasyapiya* refers to Natarāja with eight hands and sixteen hands respectively, but the *laksana* or the description suggesting the corresponding pattern-image is not given in the text. There are images similar to Plates VII & IX in the collections of Sir Ratan Tata and Lord Ampthill which we have been unable to reproduce here. It only remains to refer to the decadent examples of this subject from the Colombo Museum illustrated in Mr. Vincent Smith's work. Few will endorse Mr. Vincent Smith's opinion that "it is the most artistic of all" similar images. For reasons which shall presently consider, the work may be supposed to represent an abortive attempt of local Sinhalese craftsmen who, without a training in the traditions of Saivaite iconography were trying in vain to imitate the masterpieces of the Saivaite bronze sculptors.