Country Group: South and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam)

Item id: 1041

This is an extraordinary Jain Bronze or Brass shrine with four standing figures, each of which is separately modeled. It glows with spiritual energy. It clearly is quite old, but I do not know how to date Jain pieces reliably-I could not tell you if it was 14th, 16th, or 18th century, or any other century. It is made of an alloy which some Indian pieces are made which does not tarnish in the same way most alloys do. It does have the correct wear for a piece with significant age. The full shrine stands 10.5 inches tall and each if the 4 figures stand 5.25 inches tall. There is a prayer written around the base, which adds to its power and beauty. In excellent condition, with imperfections and corrections to the base which look to be original to the manufacture or at least to be very early. Otherwise perfect. Quite a heavy and substantial piece, which also has some words or letters written in Pali or Hindi or some other language written in the deepest recesses on the insides (it is hard to imagine how they did this- you almost need a flashlight to see it). A wonderful and rare object.