A delight to hold and to look at. Four-armed Ganesha in tribhanga position, almost breaking into a dance.

Aksamala (prayer beads) and a pot filled with sweets are in his lower hands. As it is common with Ganesha’s image, his trunk is reaching for the sweets. Some link his ample belly to his liking of sweets.  The attributes of his upper hands are damaged. 

His face is worn with ritual use, but his eyes are discernible. The bottom is worn smooth, indicating prolonged use.

Prominent sacred thread, plain pedestal, big ears and broken left tusks are some of the features worth noting.

The pattern on the asymmetrically placed scarf and a similar pattern on the central part of the lower garment help us in relating this bronze to the well-known Gauri Sankara group brass from Chamba. Refer to Page 106, Fig 130, The Antiquities of Himachal by M Postel, A Neven and K Mankodi.

The bronze is about 9 cm in height, and it is likely to be from Himachal Pradesh. The relation to the Gauri Sankara image referred to above suggests this bronze may be from the 10th/11th century.

I showed photos of this bronze to some of my collector friends and dealers. Invariably, it brought an appreciative smile to their faces. One of the few bronzes that connect with people instantly.

27 Oct 2018: According to B N Aryan  (http://www.museumoffolkandtribalart.in/index.htm),  this is “Kashmiri style probably by a Chamba craftsman”

19 June 2023: This is no longer with me, but it is in the family.