Early 20th Century Bronze Indian Ganesha Sculpture
Item Details
An early 20th-century bronze Indian Ganesha sculpture. The statue depicts a standing Ganesha, which holds in his hands, a noose, an elephant goad, his broken tusk that he used to write the Mahabharata epic and a mango. His trunk is curled around a water vessel. He wear a tooled crown with pointed ends and a draped pair of trousers with drawstring. The Ganesha stands atop a tiered tooled base. The Ganesha is a popular Hindu deity who is known as a patron of letters and learning, a scribe whose broken tusk was used to write down parts of the Mahabharata epic. He is also a remover of obstacles, which is the first object worshipers encounter when they enter a temple. Ganesha is characterized by a pot belly, a broken tusk and four arms that carry pasam, a goad, a pot of rice or sweetmeats. The Ganesha’s pot belly is usually bound around with a cobra. The position of Ganesha’s trunk is supremely important—if the trunk turns to the Ganesha’s left, that is the direction for success in the world. It is a position associated with grihastas, or householders. If the trunk is turned to his right, the trunk represents moksha, good for renouncing the world.
Condition
vintage condition with patina
Dimensions
Item #
16CIN513-084