152 - SEATED BRONZE GANESHA INDIA 18TH CENTURY

SEATED BRONZE GANESHA INDIA 18TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 7,4 cm Wide 6,3 cm Depth 4 cm Weight: 152 grams A small cast-bronze Ganesha seated in lalitasana on a rectangular pedestal. The elephant-headed deity is shown with four arms and wears a tiered crown, jewellery and the sacred thread across the torso. Ribbon-like scarves extend from the shoulders and enliven the compact silhouette, while surviving attributes include a sweet and ritual implements. Ganesha is among the most immediately recognisable and widely worshipped Hindu deities, invoked as remover of obstacles and patron of auspicious beginnings. Small portable bronzes such as this were well suited to private devotion, concentrating a complete iconographic image into an object that could be handled and placed within a domestic shrine. The surface is covered with pale earthen and mineral accretions over the bronze, with wear consistent with age and devotional handling. Despite its diminutive scale, the rounded modelling and broad seated posture give the figure a pleasing sense of solidity.