South India, 16th-17th century. Cast standing in tribhanga on a circular double-lotus base supported on a stepped square plinth, the hands in katakamudra, dressed in a short dhoti secured with a beaded belt and richly adorned in jewelry and the sacred thread, the face with elongated eyes flanked by pendulous earlobes, surmounted by a conical headdress, and backed by a shirashchakra.Provenance: French private collection. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, traces of use, malachite encrustations, minuscule nicks, dents and light scratches here and there.Weight: 398.4 gDimensions: Height 16 cmRama is a major deity of Hinduism and the seventh avatar of the god Vishnu, one of his most popular incarnations along with Krishna, Parshurama, and Gautama Buddha. He is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana, a text historically popular in the South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. Rama is especially important to Vaishnavism, and ancient Jain Texts also mention Rama as the eighth balabhadra among the 63 salakapurusas. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being.The Vijayanagara Empire was based in the Deccan Plateau region in South India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, members of a pastoralist cowherd community that claimed Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers to ward off Islamic invasions by the end of the 13th century. At its peak it had subjugated almost all of South India's ruling families and the Sultans of the Deccan region, thus becoming a notable power. It lasted until 1646, although its power declined after a major military defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by the combined armies of the Deccan sultanates. The empire is named after its capital city of Vijayanagara, whose ruins surround present day Hampi, now a World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India. The writings of medieval European travelers such as Domingo Paes, Fernao Nunes, and Niccolo Da Conti, and the literature in local languages provide crucial information about its history. More recent archaeological excavations at Vijayanagara have revealed the empire's power and wealth.Auction result comparison: Compare with a related but slightly larger bronze of Rama at Sotheby's New York in Indian, Himalayan & Southeast Asian Works of Art on 22 March 2018, lot 1019, sold for USD 13,750.