Posted 4 years ago
Eadaein
(1 item)
I recently purchased this from an estate collector. The gentleman was a huge collector of fine pieces.
After hours of searching I discovered only two references to decipher what this was originally. The pieces came from a Sacred Hindu Chariot. Hindu's would carve these amazing pieces and then place then around the chariot. Large chariots could have a lot of these, I couldn't count them all but it looked like 80 in one large chariot. They were massive!
Each of my pieces measure 88cm x 35cm x 11cm I should weigh them, I just know they're super heavy. I can't imagine how much a chariot weighs. Note most chariots didn't move, they were more like statues that protected one area.
If you know more about these pieces I'm always interested in learning! So little information exists, that I could find, that I would be thankful to learn more!
I'm happy to have found this site! I love viewing everyone's collections!
UPDATE:
Here are links to other Indian chariot pieces.. I also changed my photos to show a better view of one of the panels. I'm hoping this will help answer questions.
One photo shows the wood addition done. This is significant because the original chariot would have had it's wood brace area end at the join line. They wouldn't have had it run to the top so something could sit on top of the carving. The glass has been removed from the set due to how heavy it was and I didn't want to weaken (if that's even possible on this beast of a heavy wood piece lol) the panel.
I greatly appreciate every reply here! Thank you! These links are literally everything I can find about this type of work. It seems like a lot but in reality it's not helping much lol! Pieces of information here and there.
https://theantiquestory.com/collections/idols/products/wood-carving-of-horse
https://www.lotussculpture.com/26w6.html
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38591sortBy=Relevance&=&where=India&=&ft=%2A&=&offset=0&=&rpp=20&=&pos=15
I’m trying to figure out what I’m seeing there. Looks like a succession of people being conquered....are the men directly under the horse’s hooves bound at their ankles by ropes?
It’s so hard to identify what is happening there ....since you can examine it closely and likely have information we don’t have, could you tell us more about the “theme” of the piece? What are we seeing?
The artist who made this had to spend hrs. or days studying the grain of the wood to do this and makes awesome.
Thank you all for your input! I took new photos and focused on one panel. I also updated the description with links to the only info I've found. I also shared a clear photo of the joined piece which is more recent.
I'm thrilled people are engaging with this piece. I have a couple more cool pieces I will post since you've been so awesome. Others are a straight up mysteries or partial mysteries too.
Hello renedijkstra!
So I was looking at that as well, however while I was watching a video recently ( I'm a huge fan of India's history and usually watch a video a day about less common temples or places in India) and it was sharing beautiful photos of older, static, chariots. Not the ones pulled thru the streets during festivals. These varied greatly in size, detail etc. Some looked fairly rough, very primitive. I would say many levels less intricate, no less valuable as a ceremonial, religious icon by any means, I only imply the state of the pieces from an investigative sort of view.
What are your thoughts on this? Viewing the link to the MET piece I thought similarities of style were very close. Are chariot panels also carved just as an awkward decor piece? I say that because both sides of this panel are identical. It wasn't originally made for holding anything like a table top. It's been modified so it could mount to the wall as support to hold the glass, but it gives insight on the best way to see the piece.
So many questions lol! Perhaps I should change this post to "Mystery" lol