Late 20th Century Nepalese Copper Hindu Goddess Parvati Statue

Description

Title: Hindu Goddess Parvati Statue.
Maker: Master artisan of the Shakya clan.
Origin: Patan, Nepal.
Period: Late 20th Century.
Material: … more Title: Hindu Goddess Parvati Statue.
Maker: Master artisan of the Shakya clan.
Origin: Patan, Nepal.
Period: Late 20th Century.
Material: Lost Wax Method, Oxidized Copper Alloy.
Weight: 4 lbs., 9 oz. (Overall weight with case: 10 lbs).

Description: Offered is an expertly cast sculpture in a solid copper alloy in oxidation form; an enchanting portrayal of Goddess Parvati. The finely sculpted statue was submitted to an oxidation process to yield a rich and sensuous finish. This beautiful image of the goddess is one of the most popular traditional depictions. She sits in an open position of royal ease and tilts her head slightly with a benevolent gaze and a warm smile. Her magnificent royal headpiece that pushes forth towards the zenith indicates her celestial status, exquisite jewels (turquoise, pearl, rock crystals) adorning her crown and naked torso. The stance of her posture is open, almost vulnerable, but imbued in this openness is the vital power of a great yogini who has partaken in both the deepest meditations and the most ecstatic forms of the deep tantras. The figure is featured on a black wooden stand, rests inside a plexiglass and metal frame case atop a white marble base.

Statue measures: 5 W x 3.5 D x 6.75 H (7.5 H with black stand) inches.
Display case: 7 W x 7 D x 9.5 H inches.

About the deity: Goddess Parvati is the reincarnation of Sati, the first wife of Shiva. She is the consort of Shiva and the sister of Vishnu. She is the mother of Ganesha, Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, and Kartikey, the War of God.

Parvati's legends are intrinsically related to Shiva. Just as Shiva is at once the presiding deity of destruction and regeneration, the couple jointly symbolize at once both the power of renunciation and asceticism and the blessings of marital felicity.

Parvati thus symbolizes many different virtues esteemed by Hindu tradition: fertility, marital felicity, devotion to the spouse, asceticism, and power. Parvati represents the householder ideal in the perennial tension in Hinduism between the household ideal and the ascetic ideal, represented by Shiva and Parvati. In classical Hindu mythology, the "raison d'être" of Parvati, and before that of Sati, is to lure Shiva into marriage and thus into a wider circle of worldly affairs.

About the maker: The Shakya clan are master sculptors/artisans that practice their individual handcraft in Patan, Nepal, considered among the best in the world. These craftsmen are the modern heirs to a centuries-old tradition of creating sacred art for use in temples and monasteries. The fine metalworking techniques have been passed down from generation to generation since ancient times. less