Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY

Monday, 06 November 2006 15:17

LONDON - An exhibition devoted to the artistic and cultural riches of the imperial Chola dynasty of Southern India is on show at the Royal Academy of Arts.  This is the United Kingdom’s first ever exhibition specifically dedicated to these processional bronze sculptures.  Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India is a comprehensive presentation of Chola bronzes from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries.  The exhibition contains approximately thirty sculptures drawn from international institutions and private lenders in India, Europe and the USA including the National Museum (New Delhi), the Government Museum (Chennai), Cleveland Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asia Society (New York), Linden Museum, Stuttgart, The British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Cholas were a dynastic group that emerged in the ninth century after the capture of Thanjavur (located in the present day state of Tamil Nadu) in 850 and went on to rule for the next four hundred years.  During this time they controlled much of Southern India extending as far as the islands of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and parts of Indonesia.

Portable bronze sculptures, revered as physical manifestations of the Hindu gods, were produced to fulfill public functions and preside over festivities.  These were ritually bathed, dressed and decorated with jewels and garlands of flowers inside the inner sanctum of the temple, a place of restricted access and, for those unable to see them in this context, processed through the streets on special occasions.  The celebrated representation of Shiva as Nataraja (Lord of Dance), seen by many as the quintessential Chola image, was adopted by the ruling dynasty as a type of royal emblem.  Chola bronzes, cast using the lost-wax method, are widely considered to be among the very finest works of Indian sculptural art.

Throughout their rule the Cholas were great patrons of the arts and oversaw an extensive program of temple construction.  Stone-built temples were richly decorated with depictions of Hindu gods.  Poetry and music were especially composed to accompany religious processions and, like dance, consequently prospered during this period.

It is no coincidence that the Royal Academy of Arts will be hosting Chola: Sacred Bronzes of Southern India in 2007.  Not only does 2007 mark the 60^th anniversary celebrations of the independence of India but it also marks the 60^th anniversary of the last major exhibition of the art and culture of India at the Royal Academy. On exhibition 11 November 2006 – 25 February 2007. 

The exhibition is curated by Professor Vidya Dehejia, Columbia University, in collaboration with John Eskenazi.  These distinguished experts are working closely with Norman Rosenthal, Exhibitions Secretary, Dr Adrian Locke, Exhibitions Curator and Tom Phillips RA, Chairman of the Exhibitions Committee.

For public information : www.royalacademy.org.uk : Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD.