Deity Riding A Wild Boar, In Gilded Bronze. Zanabazar Style. Mongolia, Ca. 1900.

A bronze statuette cast using the lost-wax method and gilded with mercury. The deity is depicted riding a wild boar (or a pig), over which she reigns. This is a representation of the Buddhist deity Marici (Ozer Chenma in Tibetan). Her name means “Ray of Light.” The wild boar represents night and darkness; Marici, dominating it, represents the triumph of light over darkness. This statuette is of high quality, with meticulous finishing and very beautiful engravings. The beautiful mercury gilding is delicate, indicating a later period, and is heavily worn. The casting was difficult; the reddish alloy, with a high copper content, is not homogeneous and exhibits yellowish bronze spots. A Mongolian work executed in the late 19th century, in the tradition of Zanabazar’s prestigious 17th-century sculptures. Our collections include another work from the same period, also in the Zanabazar style, depicting a seated Amitayu. Height: 23 cm