Unique Wall Art Sculpture from India
If you want a unique piece of art for your wall, look no further. From the Industrial to the Sublime, here's a special collection of fascinating items.
First, the Industrial. This image of Krishna playing a flute is in fact a mold used to make concrete or plaster casts that are applied to the outside walls of temples, shrines or houses.
It can appear to be one of those optical illusions where the foreground appears to be the background. We found a whole collection of these molds in a yard on the outskirts of Delhi. The screws may have to be removed to release the plaster after it's hardened.
From the figurative to the abstract - this is a simple louvred wooden panel with a pleasing undulating form.
Is it a stool or a peculiar table? It could be used as either but in fact its a double chapati stand, beautifully carved with intricate designs and some mirror work on the bridge between the two halves. A classic example of the Indian love of creating decorative beauty whenever possible. A lovely piece.
Here's a pleasing collection of three separate chapati stands, each one different and individually carved. They make great stands for a small lamp.
These magnificent Makara are mythical creatures, part horse, part dragon. We sold them to a collector of Buddhist art in 2020.
They're standing next to a double size carved wooden Khyber Bed. Our last remaining double size Kandahar Bed has now been sold.
If there are four animals you associate with Rajasthan they are the horse, the camel, the elephant and the peacock - OK, I know a peacock's a bird. But you get the idea. We've had the horse, the next item is a carved panel with peacocks and elephants.
This carved five arched panel, now out of stock, makes a decorative front piece to a shrine. Or it could make an interesting mirror or from for a collection of photos. It also looks great just as it is, especially against a dark French blue wall.
The next items are in the realms of the sublime, first a very finely carved peacock panel. This is a classic Indian design which I've also seen in stone form in Nepal. This is a museum quality piece, the carving is beautifully executed, the detail is very fine. The peacock's tail is opened out in full splendour and the whole piece is full of other birds, animals and mythical figures crowned by a fierce demon figure called Yama.
The last item is another fine quality piece, a vintage carved Kadavi featuring Ganesh flanked by two acolytes in a temple like framework surmounted on two parrots.
Kadavi are used in a Burden Dance in the South Indian Tamil festival of Thaipusam. In the Burden Dance devotees of Lord Murugan (the son of Shiva and brother of Ganesh) carry a physical burden or kavadi on behalf of a loved one who may be in need of healing. Here's a link to another Ganesh Kadavi carving.
Follow the links for more photos, information and how to buy these special items, see more in our Carvings and Statues collection.