Indian Pilgrimage Figure of Kneeling Krishna

A small brass child, crawling forward on all fours with a firm grip on something round.

This pilgrimage figure of kneeling Krishna is from Maharashtra, India, dates to the 12th to 16th century or earlier, and is made of brass. Krishna is often shown as a crawling infant in Hindu devotional art, holding a ball of butter, and small metal figures of this sort are generally made for home worship and pilgrimage. The figure has a round head with a topknot, wide eyes and a necklace of beaded strands. One hand rests near the cheek while the other holds the rounded object. The brass is golden and softly worn, with dark traces in the creases. It is 1.25 inches wide, 2 deep and 1.5 high.

Small enough to hold, and clearly up to something.