Southeast Asia, India, ca. 19th century CE. A lovely white marble statue of the elephant headed Ganesha, seated upon a lotus with one leg crossed under his pot belly. Ganesha's portly state is the result of his renowned love of sweets, a pile of which he holds in his left hand. He is adorned with an elaborate head ornament, necklace, bracelets, armlets and anklets. This example is finely carved and still retains lovely gold accents as well as a bit of red and green hued paint. A breathtaking example! Size: 11.75" L x 7.5" W (29.8 cm x 19 cm)

Esteemed as one of the principle deities of the Hindu pantheon, the first son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is known as the Lord of Plenty or the god of auspiciousness, highly revered as the regulator of all obstacles with the power to create and remove them. Followers traditionally ask for his blessings at the beginning of any new paths or serious endeavors. The origin of his unusual physiognomy, particularly how he came to possess such an unusual head is the source of many legends, the most popular is that one day when Shiva was away from home, Parvati created a human son from her own body. She asked her son to guard the door while she was bathing. Quite unexpectedly, Shiva returned home, and the boy would not allow Shiva to enter his own household. Enraged by this, Shiva cut off the boy's head. Parvati grew quite angry and ordered Shiva to replace his head. Shiva did so with the first living being he encountered, an elephant.

Provenance: Ex-Art for Eternity, New York, NY.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#109908

Small stable crack in ring radiating behind head. Small loss to right ear, fingers, and base. Expected surface wear with paint loss as shown.