This is infant Krishna, holding the stolen ball of butter in his right hand,  crawling to escape his foster mother, Yasodha. Krishna is holding a flute (?) in his left hand. This theme is very popular throughout India, and most of the Vigrahas of this type are small as they are meant for home shrines. Vaishnavites (Hindu’s who worship primarily Vishnu) invariably have one of these Vigrahas in their altar.

The Vigraha is made using the Ganga-Jamuna technique. The golden coloured brass (depicting ornaments) is overlaid on the cast copper Krishna. This technique was practised in North Karnataka and in and around Tanjore.

As usual, the ornamentation is complete, crown, necklaces, earrings, shoulder-drops, arm-bands, wrist-bands, waist belt and anklets. Krishna is naked but for the ornaments, and it is a typical depiction of infant Krishna

The patina is deep, and the features are worn due to regular ritual cleansing. Normally, Krishna is chubby. But not this one. The body is surprisingly toned.

The bronze’s height is about 10 cm, and its length is about 7 cm. This is probably from the 18th/19th century. The wear suggests it could be older. This Vigraha is from Karnataka.