I saw this listed in an auction and as usual, I checked the patina and wear. They looked all right. The break in the rear right hand seemed to suggest actual use. The fun started when I did an image search. I found several such figures. Partly out of curiosity and partly with the hope the one I am bidding for maybe the original (!) went ahead with the bidding.

Well, it is not the original for sure and we will come to that later. The smooth surface finish and the patina are good enough to catch most of the collectors unaware. I did my usual ‘closed eyes’ test, feel the vigraha with your eyes closed for sharp edges/rough surface, it felt right. Hmmm.

Going back to the image search of similar Vigrahas I selected three, from an auction house, an Etsy listing and a dealer, for illustration. They are all the same height (17.5 cm) and about the same weight (900 grams).

What is remarkable is the detailed reproduction of the break in the rear right hand. See the back view below.

The quality of the finish suggests these are made using lost-wax technique. It is quite possible the original was used to make a hard mold, which in turn is used to make first-cut wax models. A reasonable way to keep the cost down.

Selecting a damaged Vigraha and copying them is a clever, if not cynical, ploy. As a damaged Vigraha is not worshipped, the intent appears to be to mislead the buyer. That intent is what makes this a fake and not a reproduction. Fake is when an object is represented as something it is not.

Some of the tell-tale signs of this being a fake include a casting defect in the rear right-hand palm, ill-defined flames of the conch shell, poor casting of his sacred thread (back view) and lifeless working of the left leg toes. Some of these are the result of hurried editing of the wax model and that is what happens when many copies are made in a short time.

This is in Karnataka style but could have been made anywhere.

Make ‘image search’ your friend.