INDIA, 17th-18th century - Lot 13

INDIA, 17th-18th century Processional float carved with a sumptuous plant decoration in the round, composed of a tangle of large stylized leaves and six-petal flowers centered on a pistil in relief. The composition, openwork at certain points, reveals great depth and formal mastery. On the front, a triple-level vertical cord, evoking a votive or ritual belt, structures the whole; it is punctuated by crown-shaped motifs with three excrescences, conferring a sense of elevation and symbolic power. At the top, a bird with radiant plumage, wings folded and beak turned towards its own chest, stands in a restrained posture. The unfurled plumage forms a solar halo, lending the whole a strong sacred dimension. Hardwood, very old patina, remnants of green chromium. Dimensions: 75 × 15 × 20.5 cm Provenance: Former Gilbert Lascault collection, Paris Historical or cultural context : Processional float elements, or ratha, accompanied major religious festivals in India, such as the Ratha Yatra, during which the deities left their sanctuary to bless the faithful. Ornamental sculptures mounted on the chariots contributed to this theatricalization of the divine. The solar bird and stylized crowns inscribe this work in a powerful symbolic vocabulary, associating protection, celestial radiance and ritual mastery of sacred movement.