“The Elegant Image,” showcased at the New Orleans Museum of Art, exhibits Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain Bronzes from the India Subcontinent in the Siddharth K. Bhansali collection. Companion to these bronze pieces are selections of history as well as the culture’s modern religious perceptions. Upon arriving to the exhibition, one is immediately immersed in the spiritual transcendence of the indigenous population’s religious expeditions. Not only is the collection of over one hundred bronze sculptures from both north and south India aesthetically pleasing, but it also creates an atmosphere unmatched within the remainder of the museum. Among the Bhansali collection are bronzes containing the earliest examples of metal used for the depiction of a known deity. As bronze statuary is exceedingly rare, a collection this varied and numerous dating back to 320 CE is nearly priceless. Guarded by a set of exhibit-specific security, the New Orleans Museum of Art knows this.
Hinduism, meaning “of the Indus valley,” was founded in India circa 1500 BCE. In the exhibition, Atman, their ultimate deity, is depicted among relics of extensions of the deity such as Vishnu the “Protector“ and Shiva the “Destroyer.” Shiva the “Destroyer” is consistently excavated equipped with a trident and a battleaxe, his two weapons of preference, while Vishnu, the “Protector,” is portrayed holding a discus and a conch shell. Standing erect or placed in a sitting formation, these bronze pieces stand anywhere from four to seven inches in size. Although Vishnu and Shiva are only two of the three hundred and thirty extension deities illustrated in Hinduism, both are eminent among the subject of bronze statuary. Dating only a few centuries into the common era, these astonishingly intact bronze pieces pronounce a civilized culture that patrons religion as well as the arts. Ganesha, the most common figure in the collection, is one of the more prominent deities worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. Possessing multiple arms beneath his trademark elephant bust, Ganesha represents the removal of obstacles obstructing one‘s spiritual path. Yet Ganesha is not limited to Hinduism, as he is also found in the Buddhist and Jain collections. The collection contains a 6th-century Ganesha bronze, making it the oldest recovered metal-sculpture of the deity. However, this piece illustrates Ganesha as having only two arms, making the bronze statue seemingly excavated during the Pallava dynasty unlike the more common Chola-period pieces that have never been found to depict Ganesha as having less than his more characteristic four.
The collection of Hindu affiliated pieces is continued by the Buddhism-specific division of Bhansali’s exhibition. Similar to the system taught by Gautam Buddha which stresses psychological awakening and liberation, the displayed pieces emphasize spiritual development and internal peace brought forth from the nature of life/meditation. Buddha himself is seen sitting in Abhaya mudra, a symbolic gesture in both Hinduism and Buddhism that involves the bending of one arm with a palm pressed outward. While Abhaya mudra is largely associated with protection, generosity, and the dismissal of fear, the position can also be linked back directly to one of the more well-known events of Gautam Buddha’s life in which he subdued Nuólā-jíli, a charging and incited elephant:
Nuólā-jíli then was released just as the Buddha came into sight, and in great rage Nuólā-jíli charged at the Buddha. But when Nuólā-jíli came into the presence of the Buddha, the elephant suddenly became very calm, and simply bowed respectfully before him, and the Buddha passed without harm, not even seeming to have noticed. (Jordan)
Although we have no evidence that Gautam Buddha performed this position upon his encounter with Nuólā-jíli, it is alluded that Gautam Buddha placed himself in Abhaya mudra in theory through his reaction. Additionally exhibited is Buddha in Dharmacakra mudra, a position involving two hands closed together before the chest, representative of his first lecture following enlightenment; this posture also exemplifies the turning of the wheel of Dharma, referring to the basis of one’s path to understanding the developmental teachings of Buddha. The followers of Gautam Buddha do not worship any certain deity, yet found in this exhibition are representations of both Buddha and Bodhisattva, the self-giving seekers of enlightenment, in formal and contemplative states appearing in sacred and/or holy form.
The last subject in the exhibition is a collection of bronze pieces in relation to Jainism. Traced back to the sixth century BCE in northern India, Jainism is known to have been founded by the “great teacher,” Vardhamāna, commonly known as Mahavira. Mahavira, similar to other ancient philosophers, would devote his life to obtaining Nirvana as well as teaching and spreading the main tenets of Jainism. Yet Vardhamāna would not garner the title of Mahavira until he had denounced all of his worldly possessions as well as reached the height of his spiritual expedition. Like Hinduism, the ultimate intention in the religion is to seek and garner liberation from reincarnation; this is to be sought through pacific means until one reaches the zenith of positive karma - thus an emancipation of sorts from the ongoing cycle of rebirth. In this particular exhibition, Jain symbolism is evident as it illustrates “Ahimsa” (a hand raised in non-violence) meant to underline to Jain vow that one will do no harm, be it physically or figuratively, to any other being - animal or human. In the collection is also exhibited three dots to portray the three jewels of Jainism which represent the three worlds: the lower region embodying “hell”, the middle region embodying earth, and the upper region embodying the “heavens.” The Wheel of Dharma is also frequently included in the Jain collection. Dr. Siddharth Bhansali, a New Orleans native and founder of the collection, states in the exhibition catalogue:
Though the intended purpose of the sculpted metal figures was to be worshipped as a physical surrogate of a diving entity, the devotee would have beheld quite a different object from the images you see in the exhibition and catalogue. For, these deities in their original homes would have been splendidly bedecked and bejewelled, their naked bodies barely visible beneath layers of flower-garlands, rich brocades, and gem-encrusted ornaments. Some of these images are purely idealised, divine forms representing ‘perfect beings'. A few exert a fascination in combining sensuality with spirituality…
Also exhibited in the collection were relics from a Jain temple, most notably a gold altar table.
Bronze statuary has been known to be melted and reused whether it be for the interest of the valuable metal or the destruction of a culture‘s existence by opposing cultures time and time again. History has witnessed this from the decline of the Greeks to the dawn of the Asiatic people, meaning a collection this massive from the ancient world offers both art historians and civilization historians alike key information regarding the period and region. However, the exhibition caters to the both the knowledgeable historian as well as the medium onlooker with facts, fictions, and, of course, the powerful realm of artistic bronze. Showcasing until late 2011, Bhansali’s exhibition is not one to be overlooked.