Lakshmi, Goddess of Prosperity
Lakshmi, the sustainer of life who personifies abundance in all its forms, is central to the Brahmanical vision of the universe. She was among the first female deities in India to assume an independent status in the ranks of the gods. Here, she is enthroned and holds a citron (jambhira) and cornucopia. A lion, her vehicle, sits beneath her stool. Lakshmi’s iconography likely evolved from representations of Nana, a west Asian goddess with lunar associations. This icon is one of the earliest and rarest known metal representations of Lakshmi.
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