Page 168 - Himalayan Art Macrh 19 2018 Bonhams

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A COPPER ALLOY SHRINE TO MAHAGANAPATI While Ganesha may not be the primary deity for most Hindus, he
KERALA, CIRCA 15TH CENTURY receives special reverence among followers of the Mahaganapatya
6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm) high sect of Maharashtra and South India. In the former, eight pilgrimage
temples near Pune, known as the Ashta Vinayaka, commemorate and
preserve the evidence of Lord Ganesha’s passage through the land
$25,000 - 35,000
in the mythic past, spreading good and vanquishing evil. For them,
this cosmic form of Ganesha with ten arms holding various attributes,
generally associated with other Hindu deities, effectively expresses the
sentiment of Ganesha as the Supreme Deity, creator of Brahma and
the universe, and as a transformational meditational deity. His consort,
Pushti, sitting on his knee, personifies Prosperity.

The ensemble is completed by an exuberant openwork aureole
terminating with blazing suns. The bronze compares favorably to
related examples formerly of the James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection
sold at Christie’s, New York, 22 March 2011, lots 43-4, finer than the
first and more elaborate than the second. An even more closely related
example sold at Christie’s, London, 29 October 1981, lot 157 depicts
the couple in the same seated posture.

Provenance
Private American Collection, acquired in London, 1970s

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