{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O63144"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O63144/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BH6446/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2006BH6446/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2006BH6446","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BH6445","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BH6444","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2006BH6443","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KJ9686","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KJ9687","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O63144/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O63144","accessionNumber":"IS.1-1951","objectType":"Figure","titles":[{"title":"Figure","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"A portrait of a female devotee and donor, her hands raised in veneration (anjali). She wears a finely decorated waist cloth, with necklace, armbands, bangles, ear-lobe ornaments (patra kundalas); the hair tied up into a large bun (kesabandha), offset at the back in the south Indian manner. She is identified by a Tamil inscription on the circular base as ‘the lady Tirunilakanta of Tiruvarur’, in Tanjavur District. Such a portrait would only be commissioned to accompany - and venerate – a religious donation, be it an icon or shrine. As she is identified, unusually in Tamil culture, by association with her husband, Tiru Nilakanda, in all likelihood she originally accompanied a portrait sculpture of him. Donor portraits are relatively uncommon in Indian temple arts, though royal portraiture was an established practice from Chola period south India, and continued by the Nayak rulers. Interestingly, this was not confined to the royal household and immediate circle, and was emulated by lesser officials, as witnessed by this portrait of the wife of a regional governor.\r\n\r\nThis finely cast copper alloy image was destined to be placed in a sanctuary nearby to the subject of the donor couple’s gift, be it a shrine, or cult image or a processional icon. In all probability this portrait bronze was donated to the local temple where the lady of Tiruvarur’s husband was serving the Nayak kingdom as a local governor.","physicalDescription":"A standing figure of a female devotee with hands in Anjali mudra. She wears a finely decorated waist cloth; with necklace, armbands, bangles, earrings  (patra kundalas); the hair tied up into a large bun at the back. The base bears an inscription in Devanagari and Tamil characters. The inscription on the base reads: TIRUVARUR TIRU NILAKANDA NACCIYAR (a reference to the wife of Tiru-Nilakantar of Tiruvarur).\r\nThe figure is mounted on a plain circular pedestal.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Unknown","id":"A1848"},"association":{"text":"","id":""},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"Copper alloy","id":"AAT10942"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"Copper alloy","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"},{"text":"Figures","id":"THES274372"},{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"}],"styles":[{"text":"Nayak","id":"AAT116709"}],"collectionCode":{"text":"SSEA","id":"THES48598"},"images":["2006BH6446","2006BH6445","2006BH6444","2006BH6443","2017KJ9686","2017KJ9687"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"006","id":"THES371872"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Figure","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Tamil Nadu","id":"x29843"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"17th Century","earliest":"1600-01-01","latest":"1700-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"38","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"12","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"12","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Purchased from E G Copper Esq for £50 (two objects) in 1950","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Standing female devotee, copper alloy, Tanjavur, south India, 17th century","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Guy, John: 'Indian Temple Sculpture', London V & A Publication, 2007,p.84. pl.94.\r\nISBN 971851775095\r\n"},{"reference":{"text":"L'escultura en el temples indis : l'art de la devoció : exposició organitzada per la Fundació \"La Caixa\" i el Victoria & Albert Museum, Londres. [Barcelona: Obra social, Fundació \"la Caixa\", c2007 Number: 9788476649466","id":"AUTH339669"},"details":"p.205, Cat. 162","free":""}],"production":"Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, South India","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[{"text":"Hinduism","id":"AAT73727"}],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"A FEMALE DEVOTEE,\r\nTHE WIFE OF TIRU-\r\nNILAKANTAR OF\r\nTIRUVARUR\r\nCopper alloy\r\nTiruvarur, Thanjavur\r\nDistrict, South India\r\nNayak period\r\n16th-17th century\r\n\r\nIS.1-1951","date":{"text":"25/09/2000","earliest":"2000-09-25","latest":"2000-09-25"}}],"partNumbers":["IS.1-1951"],"accessionNumberNum":"1","accessionNumberPrefix":"IS","accessionYear":1951,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LW9041"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-06-23","recordCreationDate":"2001-11-08","availableToBook":true}}