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LORD GANESHA SEATED
TAMIL NADU, 11
th
CENTURY
Stone
Height: 29.9 in (76 cm)
$9,460 ‒ 12,165
Rs 7,00,000 ‒ 9,00,000
NON‒EXPORTABLE REGISTERED ANTIQUITY
This lot is offered at NO RESERVE
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Mumbai
Acquired from Natesan’s Antiqarts, Mumbai
The elder son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha—also known as the lord of wisdom and the remover of all obstacles—is one of the
most revered deities in the Hindu pantheon. Sculptural representations of Ganesha have been in practice since the 5
th
century
in various regions across India, although the style, proportions and ornamentation varied from dynasty to dynasty. Some of the
finest early specimens were made during the dynasties of the Guptas and Rashtrakutas in the north, and the Chalukyas in the
south.
The many representations of Ganesha depict him in a range of positions and movements, from seated—as in the present
lot—to standing, dancing, with his family, engaged in battle, and more. Common iconography depicts him with an elephant’s
head with one broken tusk and four arms—the front two are often raised in
abhaya mudra
(granting protection) and
varada
mudra
(granting boons). In some portrayals, he is shown holding a
modak
, a lotus, conch shell or an axe. In all renditions, he is
pot‒bellied with the sacred thread running across his stomach. In his seated position, he holds the Padmasana pose, where one
leg is bent, resting on the ground, indicating his engagement with the material world, while the other is folded up, suggesting a
spiritual focus—the juxtaposition of these two signify the balance between the two dual realities.
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