Galerie Golconda

Teak chariot panel in high relief, depicting a forward facing angel adorned with several jewels, in keeping with Indian tradition. Its wings are spread wide, revealing the detail of its fine feathers. The angel is enveloped in a garland of flowers and seems to be ascending into the clouds. There is a floral frieze in low relief along the bottom of the panel. A small portion of the panel on the right is missing, however, this does not negate the quality of this piece.
Indian deities of Southern India were paraded outside of temples in wooden carts, the wheels of which may have been made of stone (especially in Mysore). This ancient tradition is still practiced today. In Zoroastrianism, an Indo-European religion of the second millennium born in the Indus Valley, there is a hierarchy of angels and archangels that constitute the invisible backbone of the universe, explaining the iconography used in religious Hindu art.