Infant Jesus
Description
At the time of introduction of Christianity in India, people were already familiar with the worship of the
child-god Balakrishna. The worship of Krishna involved deep personal emotional attachment. It was easy to transfer these motherly emotions to Baby Christ. Small ivory statues of Infant Jesus were created based on the iconography of Balkrishna. Such images of reclining Jesus usually formed a part of bride’s dowry and were associated with seeking blessings of God for progeny.
Adornments have been provided by painting the bracelets and anklets on the wrists and ankles of the
Baby Christ, ornaments which are an almost indispensable part of the images of Baby Krishna.
Collection
Indian Decorative Art
Artist
NA
Object Type
Figurine
Material
Bone
Schools/Culture/Period
Indo-Portuguese
Technique
--
Date
19th century CE
Location
Goa