Provenance:
European Private Collection, acquired in 1996
Published:
V. Dehejia, The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India, American Federation of Arts exhibition catalogue, 2002, no. 23
Exhibited:
"The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India," Smithsonian Institution, November 10, 2002 -March 9, 2003, Dallas Museum of Art, April 14-June 15, 2003, The Cleveland Museum of Art, July 6-September 14, 2003
Ganesha stands atop a lotus pedestal in a lively, swaying pose that gives the bronze an unusual sense of movement. Although the deity's body is compact and heavy, the sculptor has animated the figure through a pronounced shift of weight, a curling trunk, and ears that project outward from the sides of the head. The result is a sculpture that appears almost in motion despite its solid cast-metal form.
The elephant-headed god is shown with four arms and wears the ornaments associated with South Indian bronzes of the Chola period. Beaded anklets encircle his feet, while a short dhoti is secured at the waist with sashes that fall beside his thighs. A sacred thread crosses his chest beneath a heavy jeweled collar, and his head is crowned with an elaborately-ornamented karandamukuta. In his hands he holds several of the attributes traditionally associated with Ganesha, including his broken tusk, an elephant goad, a sweetmeat, and a noose.
Created during the Chola period, the sculpture belongs to one of the most influential traditions of bronze casting in South Asia. Chola rulers were major patrons of Hindu temples, and workshops in Tamil Nadu produced bronze images of remarkable variety for use in religious worship. Cast by the lost-wax process, each bronze was created individually rather than from a reusable mold, allowing sculptors considerable freedom in shaping posture, ornament, and expression.
Unlike many stone temple sculptures that remained permanently fixed within architectural settings, bronze images such as this one were often carried in procession during religious festivals. Ganesha traditionally leads such processions as the deity of auspicious beginnings, clearing obstacles and blessing new undertakings. Images intended for worship were treated as living embodiments of the deity: they could be bathed, anointed with oils and perfumes, adorned with textiles and jewelry, and carried before assembled devotees.
The curled trunk, projecting ears, and rhythmic sway of the body animate the figure without diminishing its presence. Created for worship and public procession, the bronze was designed to be seen in motion, its energetic silhouette remaining legible even from a distance. More than eight centuries after it was cast, the sculpture still conveys the sense of movement that distinguishes this image of Ganesha.
