Central Asia, Northern India, ca. 18th century CE. A lovely solid bronze statue depicting the elephant headed Ganesha, seated upon a throne with feet meeting under his pot belly. Ganesha's portly state is the result of his renowned love of sweets; perhaps he is holding a delectable delight in one of his lower hands. Ganesha is adorned with an elaborate head ornament, a necklace (this may actually be a snake, a traditional attribute of Ganesha), bracelets, armlets, and flowing garments. In his two upper hands he also holds ritualistic objects or weapons. A mouse, rat, or shrew attends to him just below his feet on the front face of the pedestal. A fine example. Size: 3.625" H (9.2 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.

Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honored at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Ganesha's image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, as well as beyond India.

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection

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#130238

Old loss to upper end of headdress. Normal surface wear commensurate with age. Old inventory labels on underside of pedestal.