Nepalese Malla Era Style Bronze Buddhist Hanging Strut. Likely depicts the many-armed Mahesvari or Chamunda, one of the Mother goddesses in Buddhism, with rich foliage above her and two small children huddled beneath her. 

Condition: Commensurate with age. 

Size: 2 x 1 1/2 x 8 3/4 in. 

#2315 . 

The Malla Dynasty, also known as the Malla Confederacy, was the ruling dynasty of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal from 1201 to 1779. Over 600 years the Malla presided over and nurtured the Newar civilization of Nepal Mandala, which developed into one of the most sophisticated urban civilizations in the Himalayan foothills and a key destination on the India-Tibet trade route. The Newari language supplanted Maithili as the literary and court language by the 15th Century, and the oldest known examples of architecture in Nepal are stupas of early Buddhist constructions in and around Kapilvastu in south-western Nepal, as well as those constructed by Ashoka in the Kathmandu Valley c. 250 BC. A Tang Dynasty Chinese travel book, probably based on records from c. 650 AD, describes contemporary Nepali architecture, predominantly built with wood and metal, as rich in artistry with elaborate sculpture throughout. The descriptions of their designs and this early interaction with China suggests that the Chinese were not yet familiar with the pagoda architecture and incorporated it into their own cities after that. However, in the Malla Dynasty even more sophisticated designs were included on stupas, including countless wall sculptures and struts that portrayed Buddhist, Hindu, and Jainst imagery. The tolerant Malla Empire was eventually decimated by the wars of surrounding countries, first by the Mughals and Qing and later by the Portuguese and British invaders, with whom the succeeding Gorkha Kingdom collaborated to unite all of Nepal and eliminate any individual nations remaining.

Commensurate with age.