Indian Plaque Amulet Depicting Durga on Lion

Rider on a stout animal fills a pointed arch, with twin loops up top.

This plaque amulet depicting Durga on a lion is Hindu, from Rajasthan, India. It is coin silver. Her festival, Durga Puja, is observed widely in India, and the goddess on her lion is among the most familiar images of the Hindu devotional tradition. House-shaped plaque with two upright loops above a pointed top. A seated figure with a radiating headpiece sits on a hunched animal inside a recessed panel, with leaf shapes at either side and a dark patina in the grooves. It is 0.75 inches long and 1 high.

A compact scene, crowded with purpose and tiny detail.