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VERY RARE ISLAMIC MUGHAL BRASS HAMSA DECCAN 17TH CENTURY

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / Coins: Ancient Start Price:750.00 USD Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,000.00 USD
VERY RARE ISLAMIC MUGHAL BRASS HAMSA DECCAN 17TH CENTURY
A Very Rare Antique Mughal Deccani Brass Hamsa in form of Bird ENGRAVED BIRD FINIAL PROBABLY DECCAN OR CENTRAL
INDIA, 17TH CENTURY, Of hollow form standing on flat base, the round bellied bird with curling neck ending in stylised head with
pronounced eyes and plume, the beak issuing a looped handle linking the head to the body, the rear with pronounced tailfeathers,
the body engraved with stylised flowerhead and feather pattern and with roundels above the legs containing crosses with
flowerheads in the interstices, with small hole under the breast and opening on the underside.This was almost certainly the oil
container for a lamp. The plumed head has alert, wide eyes and Issuing from his flared beak is a rush of water which is
complemented by his scrolling tale. His plump body is covered in detailed feathers and the small yali, a mythical lion, which stretches
forward from between his legs provides the outlet for the oil which it would once have held. This diminutive creature is an unusual
addition and emphasises the flamboyance of the object. The hamsa, a mythical bird, is a spiritual symbol representing the perfect
balance in life; the word is derived from the exhalation of the Sanskrit sound 'ham' and the inhalation of 'sa'.The creature is
associated with the swan or goose. these creatures are used not only for religious ceremony but also as decorative elements in
architecture and sculpture. Bibliography: Flames of devotion, Anderson pub. Los Angeles 2006 (for a lamp in the form of a cockerel
with makara head outlet p.94)