The exhibition includes over 100 bronze sculptures of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain deities, presenting a rich diversity of figures of the three major religions of ancient India.

The Bhansali collection contains numerous rare and noteworthy bronzes, including examples of the earliest known metal representations of a deity. Among these is an extraordinary group of Gupta bronzes (320-550 CE). Few private or public collections anywhere can claim so many metal figures of this period and with such variety. Bronzes from this period are rare, in part because metal images were easily melted down and re-used.

The exhibition of Dr. Bhansali’s collection is curated by the eminent Indian art historian Dr. Pratapaditya Pal. Dr. Bhansali, a native of Bombay (Mumbai), India first began collecting about 35 years ago.

The accompanying catalog serves as an introduction to the history of religious bronzes created on the Indian subcontinent over 15 centuries of the Common Era.