Small Ganesha

Picked up from an antique store, the women told me that it had been there since 1999, they purchase for $1 at an estate sale in Miami. Thought it was interesting for a few reasons so I bought it.

3 1/3” tall, First guess mid 20th, it didn’t have the weight to be solid metal. Brass highlightings with what I presume to be an applied patina. Rough detailing(not a piece of art by for).

There was an un-legible sticker on the bottom that was extremely foxed. When I pealed(broke it off) at home to check for any markings, I found it to be silver in appearance(see picture). This really threw me off. I lightly polished the sticker area and one small part of the bottom edge and found that the bottom is plated silver(it is brass). There are two holes in the front(see image) and one in the back. Seemed to be placed at the time it was made. When you look into a hole at diferent angles you can see light from the opposit side(in the back there appear to be several tiny openings that were either from wear and tear, or just error at time made), so it’s hollow.
The few holes(tiny cracks) appear to have come from age. The "Ganesha" has a face on the back of his head gear that hangs over his shoulders and back, which I can not find anything similar, one online.

In anyones opinion, is this a trinket souvenir from the 20th, or something personally previously owned from an asia resident?

 

Such bronzes are usually made with the lost wax casting technique, and would be hollow. I know that Himalayan Buddhist bronzes are often sealed on the bottom. They are consecrated through a ritual which involves placing sacred materials inside and sealing the bottom. I don't know if that would be the case with this Ganesh. Perhaps @Any Jewelry will drop by.

 

Spot on, Hunting, it is an East Javanese Ganesha.
For many centuries East Java was the powerhouse of Javanese-influenced culture. It was the centre of many great dynasties. The 13th century Singosari dynasty (of Queen Mahendradatta fame, known to many as Rangda) was the first important dynasty, the family continued on in the Majapahit dynasty, which ruled a big part of SE Asia.

This Ganesha is made in the style of Singosari (not sangasari as the site says), which means Lion Flower, the most beautiful Indonesian dynastic name. (As a descendant I may be biased.)
The face at the back of the head is called a Kala head, after Batara Kala, the ruler of the underworld. It is meant as a protection. In Hindu-Javanese belief, when there is a representation of a demonic figure, the real demons think there is already one of them there, and will seek another victim.
Hindu-Javanese demons are a bit thick.

The cracks are not from age but from the quality of casting. Ever since the dominance of Islam in East Java, Hindu-Javanese metal casting lost the quality it had during the Majapahit era. It was more of a folk art.
It is only since the late 20th century, when more tourists came to the region, that the quality started to improve.

I have to finish the session now, it is getting too late here, sorry.

 

That would explain the hollowness of this brass piece. Thank you. Reading up on it.

Thank you once again. I really think google is shadow banding me. I never get this stuff.

As alway, I feel like a grasshopper in school. Thank you AJ, your wealth of information is extremly impressive. Thank you for naming both Singosari and Kala, it is giving me a lot to dig into.

So do you thinks this little guy is early to mid 20th or maybe 19th folk Jave? I always see such impressive pieces. This one is a bit scary front and back.

 

When I click on your link, the search shows “kabul ganesh”.

Kabul, Afghanistan? and the “a” was dropped off of “ganesha”.
But yet, bingo, there it is.... kudos *thumbs up*

I tried that, Face on back stuff. Didn’t work for me.

 

Amen!

 

All right, now you've gone and done it. You made me look at Javanese bronzes and made me bid on one, you wicked man.
The seller answered, and this God of wealth replica should be joining our household soon:

Let's hope he brings us wealth, or at least gives back what I spent on him. He looks like good company.

I was actually looking for the silvery base like on your Ganesha. Several have that, no explanation given. I think it is tinned to prevent verdigris staining whatever it is standing on. Humid tropical climate and all that.

I think 20th, but it is difficult to pinpoint. Guesstimate 1920-70.

In Java and Madura Ganesha is mainly revered as a remover of obstacles and patron of wisdom and learning.
Javanese/Madurese Hinduism is mainly a form of Smartism, where Shiva, Vishnu, Dewi (Goddess), Ganesha and Surya (Sun God) are of equal importance under an ancient Javanese concept of the Great Mystery (Great Spirit). So Ganesha has always been hugely popular.

 

IT WAS THE OTHER GUY, he made me do it..... really


Your new tenet to be, just became the richest God of wealth, having you in his life.

 

Could the small holes on the front be used for a stick of incense? It looks about the right size.

 

Dont think so, but what do I really know

There are two in the front as shown in images, and one in the back mid hieght. I think the lost wax casting technique would have required the holes to drain the wax tomake it hollow, but than again why three? *shrugs*

 

I thought the wax method allowed for drainage from the base, with a plate or covering attached after the item had been made. Often the base was left open, biut again "shrugs".

 

Trust me when I say “you have to know more about it then I do” I am just hearing about it today and bookmarked some sites I want to get back to on it.

 

The small holes may be a result of the casting process. When a hollow casting is to be made by the lost-wax technique, the artisan starts with what is called a core - basically a blob of clay-like material. The wax model is built over this. Then an outer casing of clay-like material is applied over the wax, which will become the mold. The whole thing will be heated/fired enough to harden the outer mold and to melt the wax, which is poured out of the bottom. But during this process there needs to be something that continues to hold the core in place. So, before the firing, little rods known as chaplets are poked through the mold, and through the wax model into the core. Usually the chaplets are made of a metal with a higher melting point than the metal that will be used for the main casting, so they don't melt during the casting process, and the chaplets just remain incorporated into the final statue. I noticed the small holes in the front of your Ganesha are well centered, and that there appears to be another one in the lower back. This would give a good three-point suspension for the core. I can't explain, though, why the holes would be left rather than the chaplets remaining in the final statue. Perhaps they used a material that could be removed after the casting. After the casting process the mold would be removed and the core would generally be cleaned out, to leave the figure hollow.

 

Perfect explanation, 2many. That's the way it was explained to me by my father, who had a degree in metallurgy. He always found the best way of explaining technical things to us children, but in a way that took us seriously, so perfect for adults as well.