Bronze Kartikeya Figure on Peacock Mount

This cast bronze figure depicts the Hindu god of war Kartikeya, also known as Skanda Kumara, Murugan, Shanmugha and Subrahmanya. Traceable to the Vedic period (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE), Kartikeya has been an important deity in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times and is widely regarded as the "God of the Tamil people." Kartikeya is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, an agile warrior riding an Indian peafowl as his mount. He is depicted here with six faces and twelve arms, several holding objects such a bow, a ring, and a vajra scepter.