97 - SEATED BRONZE GANESHA INDIA 18TH CENTURY

SEATED BRONZE GANESHA INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 7 cm Wide 5 cm Depth 3,5 cm Weight: 169 grams A small but substantial bronze Ganesha seated on a low lotus-form base, the compact body framed by four arms and a long curving trunk. The deity wears a high tiered headdress, necklaces and a simple lower garment, while the hands display a combination of gestures and small attributes. One lower hand supports a rounded object, another curves outward, and the upper pair rise beside the large ears. The warm golden-brown surface is worn smooth on projecting areas, with darker deposits remaining in the recesses. Ganesha's iconography is unusually well suited to miniature sculpture. Even at only seven centimetres high, the elephant head, pot belly, multiple arms and curling trunk make the deity instantly recognisable. As remover of obstacles and patron of beginnings, learning and prosperity, Ganesha is one of the most approachable figures in Hindu devotion and was particularly appropriate for small portable images intended for close personal use. What makes this bronze especially appealing is its balance of weight and compactness. The broad ears, raised arms and seated legs create a dense silhouette, while repeated incised and cast details animate the otherwise smooth metal. The result is an intimate Indian devotional bronze whose character comes as much from handling and surface wear as from the original casting.