The Sage Agastya Seated in Meditation on his Water Pot (Kumbha)

This 15th-century gilt bronze from the Kathmandu Valley depicts Agastya, one of the seven great sages (Saptarishis) in Hindu tradition. He's shown seated on his characteristic attribute: a water pot (kumbha). According to legend, Agastya was born from a kumbha containing the seed of the gods Mitra and Varuna, earning the name Kumbhayoni ("he whose womb was a mud pot"). He authored hymns in the Rigveda.

Agastya was regarded as a manas-putra (mind-born son) of the divine, created by the gods to produce powerful beings capable of countering demonic forces. The gilt bronze technique gives the figure a golden luminosity appropriate for depicting a divine sage. At about 5 inches, this was likely for a private shrine or personal devotion. It's at the Art Institute of Chicago.