Indian Pilgrimage Figure of Lakshmi

Four arms, two lotus buds held high, and a crown nearly as tall as the face beneath it.

This pilgrimage figure of Lakshmi comes from Maharashtra, India, and dates to the 16th to 17th century or earlier. It is brass. Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and good fortune, is among the most widely venerated deities in Hindu worship. She stands on a stepped square base in a long patterned garment, with a tall conical crown. Her upper hands raise lotus buds on stems, and a lower hand holds a small round object. The brass is warm brown with traces of green. It is 3.5 inches high and 2 wide.

A great deal of grace for a figure the height of a thumb.