A simple village folk art from South Tamil Nadu, known after the major city of Pudukottai in the region. Here you see two worshippers, the male figure with his hands in Anjali mudra and the woman holding flowers as an offering to the deity.

I have come across these bronzes in an ‘unorganised market’.  The exhibition catalogue  Art of the Indian Subcontinent From Los Angeles Collections, prepared by J L Davidson. (Item 157 and page 102). The examples in that catalogue are attributed to the

16th century. Art from the Indian Subcontinent, Norton Simon Museum, by Pratapaditya Pal, has several examples.

 These folk bronzes are almost two-dimensional bodies and have rather elongated features. They are characterised by simple drapery and simple ornaments.

These may not be a pair; the designs of the bases differ. They are presented here together due to their shared theme and origin. Their back is not worked on.

They are about 9.5 cm in height and are solid cast. These may date back to the eighteenth century.