Ganesha Musician – Antique Bastar Dhokra Tribal Bronze, India, 19th Century

Description

Antique Ganesha Bronze from the Bastar Region   B3025C901

This antique Bastar bronze Ganesha is a highly expressive 19th-century tribal sculpture from Central India.

Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity associated with wisdom, prosperity and the removal of obstacles, is represented standing on a circular base. His multiple arms hold several attributes, including a stringed musical instrument, identifying this unusual representation as a musician Ganesha.

The figure displays the distinctive elongated proportions associated with the tribal metalwork of the Bastar region, now located in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Its long legs, broad fan-shaped ears, curved trunk and strongly stylised facial features give the sculpture an immediate and powerful presence.

The garments, ornaments and anatomical details are defined by fine linear and ribbed patterns created directly in the wax model. The slightly irregular and asymmetrical appearance is characteristic of an individually handmade casting rather than mechanically reproduced sculpture.

The figure was produced using the traditional Dhokra lost-wax casting process. A unique wax model was covered with clay, heated to remove the wax and then filled with molten copper alloy. The clay mould was broken after casting, making each sculpture an individual work.

The statue is solid rather than hollow and retains a deep, naturally aged patina ranging from dark brown to almost black, with occasional warmer copper-alloy highlights.

Such folk and tribal images were generally intended for domestic or village devotion rather than for the formal decoration of major temples.

Details:

• Deity: Ganesha

• Representation: musician Ganesha

• Origin: Bastar region, Central India

• Present-day region: Chhattisgarh

• Period: 19th century

• Tradition: Bastar / Dhokra tribal metalwork

• Material: copper alloy, traditionally described as bronze

• Technique: solid lost-wax casting

• Height: 17.5 cm

• Width: 10.5 cm

• Weight: 368 g

Condition:

Very good overall condition for an antique tribal sculpture. The surface retains a naturally aged dark brown to black patina, with oxidation, wear and casting irregularities consistent with its age and handmade manufacture.

No aggressive cleaning or artificial patination has been observed. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the condition report.

Provenance:

From the dispersal of an old French private collection assembled over a lifetime.

A striking and highly decorative example of Central Indian tribal devotional art.