South India, Maharashtra. The four-armed deity seated in lalitasana on a circular lotus throne raised on a flat square base, holding in his hands an axe, trident, broken tusk, and a bowl of sweets which he samples with his trunk, wearing a short striated dhoti, sacred thread around his portly waist, adorned with ornaments, and wearing a conical tiered head dress.Provenance: Art of the Past, New York. Collection Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Sharpe, Strasbourg, France, acquired from the above in 2001. A copy of an original letter, stating the land of origin as South India and dating the piece to the 18th century, with a description containing the story about Ganesha's broken tusk, accompanies this lot.Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, minuscule nicks, occasional light scratches, the base with dents.Weight: 1,701 gDimensions: Height 16 cmIn Puranic literature, there is an amusing story about Ganesha's broken tusk: After feasting on sweets one day, Ganesha was returning home on his mount, a mouse. The poor mouse, unable to bear Ganesha's weight, dropped the deity and as a result, Ganesha's stomach burst open spilling sweets. The moon witnessed this scene from the sky and burst into laughter. Ganesha reacted by breaking off one of his tusks and angrily thrusting it at the moon, which is why we see dark spots on the surface of the moon.Auction result comparison: Compare with a bronze of a standing Ganesha from the 16th century, 24 cm, at Christie's New York, in Indian Southeast Asian Art on 30 March 2006, lot 72, sold for USD 84,000.