Last week we visited the Royal Academy to see Chola, an exhibition of Indian sacred bronze statues from the time of the Chola dynasty (9th–13th century). I had previously seen a similar exhibition in Antwerp at the Etnographic Museum and enjoyed it a lot, so I was really looking forward to this. But the exhibition was disappointingly small – only three rooms, around 40 pieces in total, about half an hour’s viewing – and quite expensive for its size (£8 per person).

The statues were impressive, especially the signature pieces of Shiva as the Lord of Dance, and Krishna dancing. These were also the most dynamic ones – many of the others were simply straight, upright figures, all quite similar to each other. Which was interesting in itself, in a way, because it demonstrated how the statues were not primarily works of art but expressions of a concept, and thus bound by strong conventions. The same is true of much western religious art, in particular Russian Orthodox icons, where all the saints look the same except for their characteristic accessories and poses that symbolise some part of their role. The same was true here: god X always holds A in his left hand and B in his right hand, etc.

Unlike western religious imagery, though, many of these gods were elegant and physically beautiful, with a strong focus on the naked body, and lively rather than serene or serious. These gods appear far more physical than most Christian saints.

While the individual statues were beautiful, I missed a larger framework or story around them. I would have liked to see photos of them in their ordinary settings in a temple or in use in a processions; some understanding of how this art form changed over time; more about the meanings of the symbols, etc. Perhaps the audio guides gave some of that, I don’t know, but it wasn’t present in the exhibition.