Bronze Urthava Thandav Shiva

DETAILS

Bronze Urthava Thandav Shiva

Size (WxDxH) : 14.5 x 7 x 22.5 Inches

Finish : Bronze (Lost Wax)

DESCRIPTION

Shiva is dancing the wild Tandava dance with his leg artfully raised above his head as he hits a drum and has one hand over his head in a majestic pose. Shiva has 8 arms hold a variety of weapons including, starting from the hand held over his head, a deer, Nandi, drum, drum stick, bell, trident, and an ax. The trident represents the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu . It is also said to represent the threefold qualities of nature: creation, preservation and destruction, although preservation is usually attributed to Vishnu. His leg raised over his head shows Shiva to be dancing the Tandava dance as explained in the story below. His face is tranquil and passive with a slight smile. He is dancing on a dwarf which represents ignorance. He is thus destroying all ignorance in the world when he dances. He is surrounded by a fiery arch or prabhamandala.

ABOUT LOST WAX BRONZE SCULPTURES

The Lost Wax Process, also called cire-perdue, is a method of metal casting in which hot metal is poured into a wax model, which is lost during the process. The process is used to make highly detailed bronze sculptures.

In the olden days, the castings were often made in copper, but bronze quickly became the preferred material for statuary, as it is stronger and more tensile. This method of sculpting involves creating a solid wax model of the figure, and then wrapping it in a clay mould. The model is then heated to melt the wax and harden the clay. Molten metal is poured into the inverted clay mould, and upon cooling, the clay mould is broken to reveal a solid sculpture.

Sculptures made using this method are one of a kind, since the mould must be broken to take the statue out. A sculptor typically spends several weeks to months working on one piece, thereby making such sculptures harder to come by, and very special. The very fine detailing and the intricacy of the work adds to the beauty of each piece.