Beeld van Nandin

Seated Nandi. Indonesia, East Java. Second half of 15th century. Volcanic stone (andesite). This corpulent animal is seated with thesoles of its feet together. This is the pose in which Ganesha, with his pot belly and elephant's head, is often shown. From its bull's head, this must be Nandi, the Hindu god Shiva's mount. Around the animal's mouth is a halter. In Central Javanese art Nandi is often represented like this, although with Shiva on its back. Nandi is rarely found in East Java. The statue is carved all around. This is quite unusual since the back of Indo-Javanese sculptures generally formed a flat back plate.