A BRONZE FIGURE OF MAHAGANAPATI (GANESHA THE GREAT) AND SIDDHA LAKSHMI, SOUTH INDIA, LATE

A BRONZE FIGURE OF MAHAGANAPATI (GANESHA THE GREAT) AND SIDDHA LAKSHMI, SOUTH INDIA, LATE VIYANAGARA-NAYAKA PERIOD, 16TH-17TH CENTURY

Finely cast with the ten-armed Ganesha seated in lalitasana upon a circular lotus throne raised on an elaborate stepped rectangular pedestal, his shakti seated on his left thigh with her feet pendant and a lotus held in her left hand. His principal left arm embraces her, while the remaining arms are closely arrayed around his rounded torso, bearing attributes softened by wear. A serpent girdles his ample belly above a short dhoti, and his body is adorned with jewelry. Broad, fan-shaped ears frame the tightly curling trunk beneath a tall, tiered conical crown. The pedestal is finely articulated with molded bands, geometric ornament, and repeated lotus-petal borders.

Provenance: The James and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection, Chicago, Illinois. Thence by descent. James and Marilynn Alsdorf got married in 1952 and built a life that was centered on art, philanthropy and family. Studying and collecting art was their all-consuming passion, and it took them all over the world. Their spirit of adventure was unique; they went places that few collectors at the time were curious and confident enough to explore. As their interests diversified, so did their collection. 'They were not strategic in their collecting,' recalls Bridget Alsdorf, the couple's granddaughter. 'They were guided by what fascinated them and gave them pleasure, by knowledge and instinct. They were an incredible team.' As well as being great collectors, the Alsdorfs were loyal supporters of museums and cultural institutions across Chicago and the wider United States, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Leigh Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago. James Alsdorf served as Chairman of the AIC from 1975 to 1978, and Marilynn sat on various committees. In 1967, the Alsdorfs joined other prominent Chicago collectors, including Edwin and Lindy Bergman and Robert and Beatrice Mayer, in founding the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, an institution to which they would provide extensive financial and personal leadership. After James's passing in 1990, Marilynn, who was known as 'the queen of the Chicago arts community', continued to build upon her husband's legacy in art and philanthropy, making a transformative bequest to the AIC in 1997, and funding a curatorial position in Indian and Southeast Asian Art at the AIC in 2006.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, predominantly from prolonged worship within the culture, small losses, dents, remnants of pigment, encrustations, warping, and minor nicks and scratches. The reverse of the base with metal remnants of an old mounting and a small associated aperture. The bronze with a smooth, naturally grown dark brown patina.

Weight: 217 g
Dimensions: Height 7.7 cm

Mahaganapati, or Ganesha the Great, presents the elephant-headed god in an exalted form, accompanied by his shakti and endowed with ten arms. In Ganapatya traditions, which venerate Ganesha as the Supreme Being, this manifestation expresses his encompassing divine power. His prescribed attributes include a pomegranate, sugarcane, grain and a vessel of jewels, associating him with fertility, nourishment and abundance. The goddess seated upon his left thigh, conventionally identified in this form as Siddha Lakshmi, holds a lotus and embodies his divine energy. Their intimate embrace gives the complex iconography an unusually immediate and affectionate character.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related bronze figure depicting the same subject from South India, probably Karnataka, dated 16th century, 7.5 cm high, sold by Michael Backman, London, inventory number 6735.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 635
Price: USD 6,875 or approx. EUR 7,800 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A small bronze figure of Ganesha, South India, 17th–18th century
Expert remark: Compare the related modeling of the rounded body, tiered crown, and lotus pedestal. Note the four-armed form without a consort, the simpler base, and the size (9.2 cm).