Ganesha, Orissa, India, 17thᵉ century

• Statuette of Ganesh represented with four arms, copper alloy, India, Orissa (Odisha), 17th century.
• Dimensions: H 8.5 cm x W 5 cm x D 4 cm
• Weight 354 grams
• Provenance: Estate of Asian art dealer and collector Claude de Marteau
• Sold with certificate of origin.

Ganesha’s four arms represent his ability to act simultaneously in all directions. His trunk is turned to his left(Vamamukhi Ganesha), associated with gentleness and benevolence, with a cult oriented towards success in everyday life. He holds 4 attributes:

1. an elephant goad(ankusha), used to direct wisdom and mind control.
2. A spherical object, a modaka (an Indian sweet), symbolizing the reward for spiritual effort and the sweetness of wisdom.
3. A noose or lasso(pasha) that enables him to capture and tame human desires to guide his followers along the right path.
4. In his right hand, the rest of his broken tusk:According to the most widespread legend, the sage Vyasa was to dictate the epic Mahabharata, and he needed a fast, intelligent scribe. Ganesha agreed, but on one condition: Vyasa was never to stop talking.in the middle of the story, the quill Ganesha was using broke. So as not to interrupt his writing, he broke off one of his tusks and used it as a stylus to complete the transcription. This act symbolizes self-sacrifice for knowledge and wisdom.

In his first appearances in India, Ganesh was associated with fertility. Later, he was widely venerated as the Lord of Beginnings and Destroyer of Obstacles, and as the patron of the arts and sciences, the deity of intellect and wisdom.