This poised sculpture of Nataraja belongs to the medieval era and originated in South India under the patronage of the Chola Dynasty in 12th century CE. It is 96.0 cm tall, 82.8 cm wide and 28.2 cm in depth. It is currently on display at the National Museum, New Delhi in the gallery of Chola Bronzes.

Archeometric, iconographic and literary evidence shows that the bronze representations of Shiva’s Ananda tandava first appeared in the Pallava period between 7th century CE and mid 9th century CE. Pallava productions of the Nataraja in bronze were borrowed heavily from the Nataraja wooden sculptures. The later Chola craftsmen began experimenting with the greater tensile strength of metal and thus began to produce figures that were flared and dynamic as opposed to the Pallava sculptures that were close-set and linear. This Nataraja can hence be dated to the era of the Chola dynasty. Tanjavur or Tanjai was the capital of the imperial Cholas, both in the political and ceremonial sense. Further, the physical and symbolic centre of the capital was a temple dedicated to Shiva, built during the reign of Rajaraja Chola. The temple was associated very closely with the royals. For example, it was named ‘Rajarajeshvara temple’ after the incumbent king. As the family and state deity, Shiva was the most important authority in the religious, political, and cultural world of the Cholas and their subjects. Although Shiva was depicted in many divine roles, it was the Shiva Nataraja which became a symbol of Chola power. This sculpture would be clothed and ornamented and played a very important role in the various temple rituals. Many Shiva temples in southern India have a separate Natana Sabha where the image of Nataraja would have been placed.