Brass figurines of Khandoba, India, Deccan, 19th century.

Two Khandoba figurines, manifestation of Shiva in the Deccan. India, 19th century or earlier.

• The largest measures H 14 cm x W 6.5 cm x D 4.5 cm
• Weight of the pair: 756 grams
• Provenance: Claude de Marteau Collection

These two small copper alloy figures depict Khandoba on horseback, a major deity of Maharashtra, a state in west-central India, worshipped as a regional manifestation of Shiva. Dating from the 19th century, they belong to a popular religious production intended for domestic devotion or small shrines.

The ritual of Khandoba, a form of Shiva in India.

Khandoba appears here in his characteristic aspect as a warrior god on horseback. The two figures wear tall conical headdresses and display highly stylized weapons or attributes, including the sword and shield traditionally associated with his iconography. The horses, standing on high molded rectangular bases, are treated with great economy of means: slender legs, raised head, simply incised harness, and an almost graphic silhouette.

Two devotional images designed to be handled

An interesting feature of these examples lies in their construction from separate elements: the riders can be removed from their mounts and then replaced on horseback. This detachable nature recalls the concrete role of these small bronzes in religious practice, where images could be handled, cleaned, and honored during rites.

The modeling and locally smoothed surfaces reinforce this impression of objects that have experienced prolonged devotional use. The most accessible parts have been polished over time by handling, wiping, and probably the application of ritual oils or ointments, while the recesses retain a darker patina.

These two Khandoba bronzes from Maharashtra come from the former Claude de Marteau collection and represent two similar interpretations of a very popular religious type in Western India in the 18th/19th century.