Ganesha – Statue with Filigree

Ganesha statue on a lotus pedestal, worked in filigree, gilded and silver-plated, set with colored stones. Ganesha is one of the most widely known deities of the Indian cultural sphere. Within tantric Buddhism, he appears as Vinayaka and is revered as a guardian and remover of obstacles

Ganesha wears a jewel-set crown, ratna mukuta, and a third eye is shown on his forehead. The figure is rendered with four arms. In the upper left hand, Ganesha holds an axe, a traditional attribute associated with the symbolic removal of obstacles. The lower left hand holds sweets, laddu, on which the trunk rests. On the right side, he carries a mala as well as a radish, a motif commonly found in regional representations. Around his neck, Ganesha wears a mala rendered in the form of a snake; the head of the snake is visible at the level of the navel. Beside the left knee sits the rat, Ganesha’s mount.

The garment and the pedestal are worked in filigree. Thin wires have been bent into spiral forms, filled with small arched elements, and joined into ornamental patterns. Colored stones form floral motifs. A dzi bead is set at the left foot. 

The statue follows iconographic conventions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, in which posture, gesture, and ornament are brought together in a balanced composition.

Ganesha

Statue in copper, traditional lost-wax cast, decorated with fine filigree, gold- and silver-plated, set with colored stones. The figure is patinated. The face is set in gold. Handcrafted in Nepal.

• Height: 8" / 20 cm 
• Width: 6.2" / 16 cm 
• Depth: 4.3" / 11 cm 
• Weight: 1,675 g 

NOTE
The face painting is a cold gold application and water-soluble.