India
19th century
Hardwood, iron rim
Diameter 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm), 17 1/2 in on custom stand (44.5 cm), 16.5 lbs
Provenance: Bobbi Hamill, Boston, MA; Jaque Carcanagues, Paris
This Indian chariot wheel was originally part of a cart used to transport Nandi, the bull of Shiva, during religious festivals. Carved from dense hardwood and bound with an iron rim, the wheel has a strong sculptural presence, with surface wear and patina consistent with age and ceremonial use. Mounted on a custom stand, it reads as both a devotional object and an architectural fragment, carrying the visual power of temple festival processions.
The chariot wheel is one of the most potent symbols in Indian religious culture, representing the cyclical nature of time, divine sovereignty, and the movement of cosmic order. Festival carts of this type were built for annual processions in which deity images were paraded through town and village, the wheel itself an object of veneration as much as a functional component. This example retains the material history of ritual transport in a form that translates directly into a sculptural object for the contemporary collector.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
India
19th century
Hardwood, iron rim
Diameter 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm), 17 1/2 in on custom stand (44.5 cm), 16.5 lbs
Provenance: Bobbi Hamill, Boston, MA; Jaque Carcanagues, Paris
This Indian chariot wheel was originally part of a cart used to transport Nandi, the bull of Shiva, during religious festivals. Carved from dense hardwood and bound with an iron rim, the wheel has a strong sculptural presence, with surface wear and patina consistent with age and ceremonial use. Mounted on a custom stand, it reads as both a devotional object and an architectural fragment, carrying the visual power of temple festival processions.
The chariot wheel is one of the most potent symbols in Indian religious culture, representing the cyclical nature of time, divine sovereignty, and the movement of cosmic order. Festival carts of this type were built for annual processions in which deity images were paraded through town and village, the wheel itself an object of veneration as much as a functional component. This example retains the material history of ritual transport in a form that translates directly into a sculptural object for the contemporary collector.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
