Lot 53
Central Asia, India, ca. 19th century CE. A very special painting of the elephant-headed deity Ganesha (Ganesh), the Remover of Obstacles and Lord of Good Fortune who provides success and prosperity, reclining on a luxurious chaise longue upholstered with green and blue patterned fabrics and supported by a golden lion footed base. Ganesha is bedecked with a bejeweled gold headdress, multiple beaded necklaces, armlets, bracelets, sandals, and golden flowing pants. He holds his characteristic attributes in each of his four hands: a tasty pile of pastries, a broken tusk, a lotus flower, and an axe. Beneath his foot is a rat or mouse - his trusty vahana/mount/vehicle. Size: 9.5" W x 6.25" H (24.1 cm x 15.9 cm); 12.125" W x 10.125" H (30.8 cm x 25.7 cm) framed.
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.
One of my favorite attributes, held in his lower right hand, is a broken tusk. One of the stories associated with this is as follows. Ganesh is believed to have broken it off himself in order to write down the Mahabharata, perhaps one of the longest epic poems ever written, as the sage Vyasa dictated it to him. While writing, Ganesh's pen failed. At this moment, he snapped off his own tusk to serve as a replacement so that the transcription would not be interrupted. Hence, the broken tusk is a wonderful iconographic attribute that symbolizes sacrifice and reiterates Ganesh's role as patron of the arts and of letters. Another version of the broken-tusk story highlights Ganesh's loyalty and devotion. According to this account, Ganesh's father Shiva wished to take a nap and asked his son to guard him. Then, a boastful Brahmin warrior named Parashuram came to visit Shiva, but Ganesh stopped him from waking Shiva. Enraged, Parashuram fought Ganesh and ultimately threw his ax at his head. Ganesh blocked the ax with his tusk which broke, giving him the nickname Eka-danta, or "One Toothed."
Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection
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#148965
- Condition: A reference number 318 (perhaps from an old collection) is handwritten in pencil on the verso. Slight toning and minor stains. The image is vivid with bright hues.
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