INDIAN BRONZE SCULPTURE
Indian art history bears witness to the mastery of various mediums, including terracotta, stone, and especially bronze. The cire-perdu, or lost-wax, casting technique dates back to the Indus Valley Civilisation and has been continuously employed in India for various artistic and utilitarian purposes.
The ancient Indus Valley Civilisation already had a sophisticated knowledge of metallurgy, as seen in the famous Dancing Girl statue from Mohenjo-Daro, dated around 2500 BCE. This tubular form shows how ancient Indians were capturing the human figure in bronze. Similarly, the group of bronze statuettes discovered at Daimabad, Maharashtra, dating to around 1500 BCE, shows the complexity of their craftsmanship.
Bronze figures of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain icons spanning from the 2nd to the 16th centuries CE have been unearthed in various parts of India. These figures are often highly detailed, capturing the essence of the subjects and offering a window into the spiritual and cultural practices of the time.
Beyond religious art, the metal-casting techniques were also used for everyday objects such as cooking utensils, thereby highlighting the adaptability of the skill. Modern-day tribal communities continue to employ this ancient method for their artistic expressions.