Museum-Scale Silvered Bronze Heramba Ganapati (Panchamukha / Five-Headed Ganesha) — Himalayan/Nepal Tradition
🕉️✨ Museum-Scale Silvered Bronze Heramba Ganapati (Panchamukha / Five-Headed Ganesha) — Late 20th Century, Himalayan/Nepal Tradition
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Overview
A commanding, collector-grade silvered bronze depicting Heramba Ganapati—the rare five-headed form of Ganesha, described as particularly popular in Nepal and important in Tantric devotion. Sculpted in an archaistic idiom with dense ornament and a dramatic, dynamic stance, this is an object designed to read with authority in a refined interior, library, studio, or curated collection. 🏛️
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Identification and iconography 🐘
Heramba Ganapati is a five-headed iconographic form of Ganesha. The name “Heramba” is traditionally explained as protector of the weak and good people, reinforcing the form’s protective connotation.
Notable visual features in this sculpture include:
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Five elephant heads (Panchamukha) with crowned, jeweled headdresses 👑
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Multiple arms arranged in a complex, ceremonial configuration with ritual implements and blessing/protection gestures 🙏
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A vigorous, dance-like stance, creating strong “in-motion” presence 💫
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Historical significance 🏺
Ganesha occupies a central place in Hindu practice as the remover of obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and god of beginnings, traditionally honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies.
Within that wider devotional landscape, Heramba represents a more esoteric, heightened manifestation—five-headed and closely associated with Nepal, with explicit relevance to Tantric worship. This makes Heramba depictions especially attractive to advanced collectors who prioritise iconographic distinction over the more commonly encountered standard Ganesha types.
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Origin and attribution 🔨
Origin (catalogue-standard): South Asia, Himalayan region — Nepal-influenced, in the manner of Kathmandu Valley (Newar) metalwork.
This is a professional and defensible positioning because the Rubin Museum notes that the lost-wax technique of hollow metal casting was perfected by Newar artists of the Kathmandu Valley and continues as a thriving tradition into the modern era.
Maker: unattributed (unsigned; no maker’s mark observed).
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Date 📅
Late 20th century.
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✅ Why you’ll love it
✅ Connoisseur iconography: Heramba is a documented five-headed form, notably popular in Nepal and associated with Tantric practice.
✅ Statement presence: museum-scale proportions and dynamic modelling create immediate impact in a high-end interior ✨
✅ Credible craft positioning: appropriately described in the manner of Kathmandu Valley Newar casting traditions, renowned for hollow lost-wax metalwork.
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Provenance 📜
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From the Famous Lord Hill Museum collection & Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.
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Specifications 📏
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Height: 31.5 cm
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Width: 21 cm
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Depth: 11 cm
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Weight: approx. 4.5 kg
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Material: silvered finish over cast bronze
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Marks: unsigned
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Condition 🧾
Offered in fine used condition, showing honest patina and surface wear (scratches/marks) commensurate with age and handling, consistent with the intended archaistic character.
