VOLCANIC ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHA.

EASTERN JAVA.

EARLY PERIOD.

10TH - 11TH CENTURY.

.

H. 69 CMS, 27 INS.

A large volcanic andesite figure of Ganesha seated on a cushion (asana) of skulls, his feet pressed together, holding a bowl of sweetmeats in his left hand and a skullcap in his right; wearing a thick diagonal upavita (sacred thread) and extensive jewellery including basubands, bracelets and belts, with matted hair and an intricate headdress surmounted by a further skull.

Images of Ganesha in Indonesian art are characterized by many of the same attributes as those of his father, Siva. These include a crown of matted hair, a skull (sometimes with a crescent moon), and a sacred thread (upavita) in the form of a serpent.

For a related example, see p. 335 no. 5 in Edi Sedyawati, Ganesha Statuary of the Kadiri and Sinhasari periods, Leiden, 1994.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, U.K.