Seated Four Armed Ganesha
Brooklyn Museum photograph
About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.
This sculpture represents the elephant-headed god Ganesh, one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. Ganesh lost his original head when his father, the god Shiva, cut it off in a fit of rage. Regretting his actions, Shiva offered his son an elephant head as a replacement. Having survived this ordeal, Ganesh now helps believers to overcome their own obstacles. Images of the god often depict his body as elephant-like, with thick limbs and stubby feet. Here he wears a skull in his crown, a reminder that he is the son of Shiva the Destroyer.
The religion of Hinduism reached the Indonesian islands through maritime trade with India early in the first millennium C.E. Royal patrons erected large Hindu temples throughout the island of Java, using the local volcanic stone. This Ganesh is carved from that lava rock, and it has traces of bright paint, suggesting that it was decorated somewhat recently, possibly for use in a modern temple. Because most of Java’s population converted to Islam in the 15th century, there are few active Hindu temples there today, so perhaps the sculpture was decorated after it left the island.
Caption
Seated Four Armed Ganesha, ca. 9th–10th century. Volcanic stone, 22 7/16 x 13 in. (57 x 33 cm) mount (overall with object): 23 1/2 × 12 × 11 1/4 in. (59.7 × 30.5 × 28.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Manheim, 69.125.7. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 69.125.7_PS11.jpg)
Tags
Collection
Collection
Title
Seated Four Armed Ganesha
Date
ca. 9th–10th century
Geography
Place made: Java, Indonesia
Medium
Volcanic stone
Classification
Dimensions
22 7/16 x 13 in. (57 x 33 cm) mount (overall with object): 23 1/2 × 12 × 11 1/4 in. (59.7 × 30.5 × 28.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul E. Manheim
Accession Number
69.125.7
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Have information?
Have information about an artwork? Contact us at
