Ritual breastplate; India, Karnataka region, western India, 18th century.

Ritual pectoral; India, Karnataka region, western India, 18th century.
Bronze.
Measurements: 41 x 30 x 7 cm.
Ritual bronze pectoral, dated in the 18th century, it is an object used during the bhûta ceremonies, ritual practices typical of the coastal region of Karnataka, in the southwest of India. These celebrations are part of the complex system of worship of the bhûtas, spiritual entities or tutelary deities linked to both nature and ancestors, deeply rooted in the popular religiosity of southern India.
The object, made of cast bronze using the lost wax technique, has a wide and slightly convex shape, designed to cover the torso of the officiant. Its surface not only had an aesthetic function, but also an apotropaic function, i.e., protection against evil forces or overflowing energies during the ritual trance. The volumetric modeling of this torso, with its swollen breasts and softly rounded belly evoking fertility and the promise of new life, is a powerful expression of the deity's promise.
During the Dharmanema ceremony, one of the main bhûta rites, these body pectorals were worn along with facial masks or helmets. The male medium, after a ritual preparation that included dances, chants and offerings, was clothed with the ceremonial ensemble, thus allowing the incarnation or possession of the invoked female bhûta spirit. In this way the pectoral acted as a vehicle of transformation, endowing the wearer with the authority and symbolic power of the spirit it represented.
Throughout the night vigil, financed and organized by the families requesting advice or blessing, the possessed officiant performed songs and mythological stories, offered moral guidance, resolved community disputes and narrated the myths of the bhûtas through word, dance and song.
Because of its manufacture, ritual context and symbolic load, this piece is an exceptional testimony to South Asian votive and performative sculpture. A similar piece belongs to the collection of the MET in New York (no. Inv 2022.2).