INDIA, GUJARAT OR RAJASTHAN, 12TH CENTURY

Details

A Rare White Marble Figure of Ganesha
India, Gujarat or Rajasthan, 12th Century
The four-armed god of auspicious beginnings expressively carved standing in a sinuous pose with his lower right hand resting on an elephant goad, flanked by two diminutive female attendants, reaching with his curled trunk to a bowl of sweets in his lower left hand and holding a tusk and flower in his uppermost hands, draped with a garland reaching down to his ankles, his head well-modeled with a humorous expression with large ears flapped forward, the backplate carved as an architectural structure centered by a small figure of Ganesha in an enclosed niche above and two similarly enclosed figures of his consorts Siddhi (wisdom) and Buddhi (knowledge) on either side, the marble with a smooth lustrous patina and some encrustation in recessed areas
27 5/8 in. (70 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired in the mid 1980s

Lot Essay

Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati and Lord of the Ganas (dwarfs), is a most cherished deity in the Hindu pantheon. He is worshipped for auspicious beginnings, success in undertakings, and the removal of all obstacles. Ganesha is also the deity of education, knowledge and wisdom, literature and fine arts.
The translucent quality and smooth polish of the marble is used to great effect to render his rotund form.

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