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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;2manybooks, post: 398961, member: 8267&quot;]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&#039;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&#039;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.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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