Page 54 - Bonhams March 22 2022 Indian and Himalayan Art NYC

319 W
AN ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA
JAVA, INDONESIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY
24 1/4 in. (61.6 cm) high
$6,000 - 8,000

爪哇 印度尼西亞 約十一世紀 安山岩象神像

Ganesha is worshipped to bless both the start and success of almost any undertaking. In
Indonesia, he is still revered today as an important patron of the arts and sciences. Carved from
a volcanic stone sourced locally on the island of Java, Ganesha is here depicted with four-arms,
seated on a lotus base with the soles of his feet touching. He samples a jar of sweets with his
trunk.

The stone mason has added a touch of flair in the form of serrated rays encircling Ganesha's tall
chignon, representing the light of his divine consciousness. The compact figural proportions and
framing stele-back compare with another 11th-century Javanese stone Seated Ganesha in the
University of Michigan Museum of Art (1957/2.56).

Provenance:
Ex-Collection of Sarah & Konrad Bekker, New York, in the USA by 1970
Konrad Bekker (1911-1981) joined the US State Department in 1946 and became a Foreign
Service officer with assignments including India, Burma, and Thailand until 1971. It was during
this time that he and his wife Sarah Bekker McInteer built their collection of Asian art. Many
pieces from their collection were subsequently donated to US institutions, such as the Asian Art
Museum, San Francisco (e.g. 2010.339) and the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois
University.

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