Period: 2nd millennium BC
Materials: Copper
Dimensions: 45 cm
Description
This copper anthropomorphic figure from Uttar Pradesh, dated to the second millennium BCE, belongs to the Copper Hoard culture of northern India. Assemblages of copper weapons, tools and figures found in the area between the Yamuna and Ganges record this archaeological horizon.
The outline reduces the human body to a few elements: a rounded head, outstretched arms with curved ends and two diverging lower projections. Symmetry and a clear contour unify the figure; its height of 45 centimetres enhances its presence.
The anthropomorphs, also described by the term manu kiti, “man-like”, occupy a distinct place among Copper Hoard artefacts. Unlike tools and weapons, they are recognisable through the outline of the body. The flat surface allows the overall form to prevail over anatomical details. Copper working serves an essential image of the human figure, whose strength lies in the construction of the silhouette.
Copper Hoard anthropomorphs are associated with the symbolic representation of the human body and ritual contexts. Votive readings of these objects also relate to finds of bent or fragmented artefacts. This example retains the essential, abstract character of an early tradition of copper working.
