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3. DANCING GANESHA Northern India (Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan) 10th/11th century Height: 53 cm Width: 27.4 cm Depth: 21.5 cm |
A buff-coloured yellow sandstone fragmentary figure of Ganesha the elephant-headed deity, adorned with a jewelled headdress, multiple necklaces and a snake tied around his torso. Ganesha faces forwards and is depicted in the S-curve or tribhanga pose, with his hips and head slightly angled and his trunk curling to his left suggesting that he has been captured in mid-movement, perhaps dancing joyously in imitation of his father Shiva, the king of dancers. The top of his large head is decorated with a jewelled headdress, parts of which fall onto his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes sit beneath curved brows and traces remain of his tusks below. His neck is covered with several circular necklaces and decorating his chest is a further thick, triple strand pearl necklace terminating in a pendant. Below is his bulbous belly which represents the cosmos, the seven realms above and below and the seven oceans which are inside. These are held together by the cosmic energy or kundalini which is symbolised by the huge snake around him, traces of which we can see to the lower right of the torso. The beginning of his dhoti can also be seen appearing just below. This figure of Ganesha would have probably been placed in a temple niche to eliminate impediments between the worshipper and the divine. Ganesha is the elephant-headed god of auspiciousness and son of Shiva and Parvati, a god who removes obstacles and grants success. The combination of human and animal form came about when Ganesha, who did not know his father but who guarded his palace, stopped Shiva from coming in after a long journey. In a fury Shiva reacted to his unknown guard by chopping off his head. The intervention of Parvati, Shiva’s consort and Ganesha’s mother, made it possible to attach to the body of the young man the head of the first being to pass the scene of the drama. The first living creature to pass by was an elephant. In this way, Ganesha acquired the strength of the elephant, kept the intelligence of a man, and became a god. To this day Ganesha remains a much-loved god in India. Although primarily a Hindu deity, Ganesha has also been popular with both Buddhists and Jains. For a similar sandstone Ganesha sculpture, see Vishakha N. Desai, Gods, Guardians and Lovers, 1993, pp. 168-169 and B. N. Goswamy, Essence of Indian Art, 1986, p. 96. Provenance: Stuart Cary Welch, acquired in 1969 On loan to the Harvard Art Museums, from 18th June 1969 Identification nos. TL17607.36 and 320.1983 Exhibition history at Harvard: The Music Room 22nd September 1984 - 11th November 1984 Indian and Southeast Asian Sculpture 20th October 1985 - 1st August 2008 Re-View: Arts of India & the Islamic Lands 26th April 2008 - 1st June 2013 |