AN ANDESITE FIGURE OF GANESHAJAVA, INDONESIA, CIRCA 11TH CENTURY 24 1/4 in. (61.6 cm) high 爪哇 印度尼西亞 約十一世紀 安山岩象神像 Ganesha is worped to bless both the start and success of almost any undertaking. In Indonesia, he is still revered today as an important patron of the arts and sciences. Carved from a volcanic stone sourced locally on the island of Java, Ganesha is here depicted with four-arms, seated on a lotus base with the soles of his feet touching. He samples a jar of sweets with his trunk. The stone mason has added a touch of flair in the form of serrated rays encircling Ganesha's tall chignon, representing the light of his divine consciousness. Thepact figural proportions and framing stele-backpare with another 11th-century Javanese stone Seated Ganesha in the University of Michigan Museum of Art (1957/2.56). Provenance: Ex-Collection of Sarah & Konrad Bekker, New York, in the USA by 1970 Konrad Bekker (1911-1981) joined the US State Department in 1946 and became a Foreign Service officer with assignments including India, Burma, and Thailand until 1971. It was during this time that he and his wife Sarah Bekker McInteer built their collection of Asian art. Many pieces from their collection were subsequently donated to US institutions, such as the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (e.g. 2010.339) and the Center for Burma Studies at Northern Illinois University.