Unknown Artist: Ganesha - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Unknown Artist: Ganesha

	After the defeat of the Cambodian Khmer Empire in 1431, the Thai kingdom, centered on the capital city of Ayudhya, became a dominant polity in mainland Southeast Asia. Our sculpture is a reproduction of the Thai original Seated Ganesha statue from the 15th century and now in the Museum’s collection. The original statue depicts the deity seated in a cross-legged yogic posture on a raised pedestal with a decorated molding. The Hindu god of auspiciousness and eliminator of obstacles, Ganesha is popularly accepted as the first son of the god Shiva and his companion Parvati. How he came to have his unusual head is the subject of many stories. According to one of the most common, once, when Shiva was away, Parvati created a human son from her body and asked him to guard the door while she bathed. Shiva returned home unexpectedly, and, when the boy refused to let him in, cut off his head. Enraged, Parvati insisted that Shiva replace her son’s head. He did so with that of the first living being he saw—an elephant. Bonded bronze, hand patinated. Height including base 12 1/2 in., width 7 in., depth 5 1/2 in. This item cannot be gift wrapped or boxed. See details. Unknown Artist: Ganesha 06-017073 Member Price: $270.00 each Non-Member Price: $300.00 each Quantity: