Antique Bronze Standing Radha Statue 6.5"

Radha is a Hindu goddess who is almost always depicted alongside prominently within the theology of today's Vallabha and Gaudiya Vaishnava sects, which regards Radha as the original Goddess or Shakti. Standing with straight legs on a lotus base over a beaded platform, the torso naked with her arms held out to the side with an item in her hand, with a neckless around her neck and bangles along the length of her arms, the face with gentle smile, small nose, and wide eyes beneath arched brows, the hair drawn up in a bun. This is a rare tribal version of this deity. Note the rich brown patina.

This statue is from the private collection of Matthew Friedman. Matthew has lived and worked in Asia for the past twenty five years. During this period, he was posted as a diplomat for the US Government (USAID) and the United Nations in Nepal, Bangladesh and Thailand. Friedman has written three books related to Asian art: one book on traditional metal casting techniques in Bangladesh, and two books profiling traditional brass and bronze antiques from Nepal. Over a twenty year period, Friedman has amassed a large collective of brass and bronze items from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Laos. Friedman periodically presents at museum and art society events on the topic of how the lost wax method is used to make traditional Buddhist and Hindu statues. This statue was purchased from antique dealers in Dhaka, Bangladesh where Matthew was the head of USAID.

Matt Friedman is a focused on raising awareness on human trafficking in the world and has given 2 TED talks on the subject. View the most recent TED talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUR_yFYDtOo