Gaṇeśa

High-relief sculpture on a stele of Ganesha with four arms, seated in the relaxed position of the mahārājalīlāsana. The divinity occupies almost the entire quadrangular space of the stele, except for the lower portion of the panel, occupied by the rectangular seat and the cushion, and the upper part, adorned with a smooth halo. The seat and the cushion, depicted with full volume in order to accommodate the figure of the seated god, present a continuous floral decoration: the throne is decorated with half corollas of flowers with upward and downward alternation and intersection, completely covering the decorated surface; the cushion, with rounded edges, has a more geometric decoration, with an intersecting motif of two different alternating flowers. Ganesha sits in mahārājalīlāsana with the legs open and the fat belly resting on the seat. Both feet are raised from the ground and collected near the abdomen: the left leg is bent and resting on the pillow, with the sole of the foot facing upwards, the right leg is bent against the side. Of the four arms only three are preserved intact: the upper left limb is almost completely compromised by a huge scratch. With the other left hand the divinity holds a bowl of large laḍḍu, with the right hand high a simple akṣamālācircolare formed by round grains, with the low right hand an aṅkuśa of remarkable proportions, serious in representation. The large fan-shaped ears, adorned with a large shell-shaped pendant, frame the small-eyed elephant head. The trunk is facing the bowl of sweets, on the left side of the god. Four horizontal signs arched downwards, just above the root of the trunk, trace the folds of the skin; the semi-circular section facing upwards, above it, symbolizes the crescent moon. The right tusk is fractured, while the left one is intentionally depicted broken according to the usual iconography of Ganesha. The head, framed by a smooth halo flattened at the top, is adorned with a simple garland of pearls with a central jewel placed above the forehead. The bust, although burdened by the large belly has an appreciable narrowing on the sides. The deity wears a nāga yajñopavīta, with the head of the cobra rising just above the navel and a necklace formed by circular heads alternating with triśūla, on the right side, and a ghaṇṭā, on the left side.