Lotus-seated Vina-vadini

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With two of her four hands, the lower right and upper left, the goddess is playing on ‘vina’ while in the other two, she is carrying a rosary and a ‘pustaka’ – manuscript, symbolic of the Vedas that Brahma is acclaimed to have written. Rosary and ‘pustaka’ are the attributes of Brahma’s iconography that Saraswati, his consort, inherited from him. Of these two aspects of the image : the lotus-seat, and ‘vina’ in hands, her lotus seat defines her initial iconographic perception, while ‘vina’, a subsequent addition. As most of the early texts have it, besides ‘japamala’ – rosary, and ‘pustaka’ – book, she carried in other two hands two lotuses. It seems that after the lotus was associated inseparably with the iconography of Lakshmi, in Saraswati’s iconography it was alternated by ‘vina’. In the course of time there emerged the cult of deity-mounts, and like other deities, Saraswati also had a mount, sometimes a goose and at other times, a peacock. Subsequently, stationary or moving, Saraswati images were seen seated on, as also riding, the goose or the peacock alternating lotus seat. This image of the goddess has been conceived, however, as lotus seated besides the ‘japamala’ and ‘pustaka’ : a classical form of her image.

Born of Supreme Light Saraswati has been perceived as abounding in great lustre and magnificence. Sometimes she is said to be the image of light or light transformed into an anthropomorphic form. Scriptures hence perceive her as gold-complexioned and as possessed of imperishable youth and unparalleled beauty. The textual perception of her image has more widely influenced her iconography than that of any other divinity. The Atharva Veda, and pursuing this Vedic line many subsequent texts, have perceived Saraswati as possessed of large breasts full of abundant milk, a form corresponding to her mythological form as river believed to have once flowed across the Punjab part, ever the land’s most food-producing zone. Saraswati icons are hence conceived, as a rule, with large sensuous breasts which on one hand symbolise abundance of food and her universal motherhood, and on the other, impart to her figure rare beauty for with well projected breasts the belly more deeply recesses and the shoulders, neck and the breast-part below the neck are delightfully relieved.

The figure of the goddess has been sculpted with perfect anatomical proportions and fine facial features, a sharp nose, large half-shut lotus-like eyes, rounded cheeks, receding chin, cute lips, a round face revealing benignity, feminine softness and bliss, and subdued belly, broad shoulders and a well proportioned figure. Besides the divine halo behind her face and beautifully crafted side wings and a towering crown the figure of the goddess has been adorned with rich jewels and a brilliant ‘antariya’. There enshrines a divine quiescence on the face and around it an aura of rare divinity. The figure of the goddess, completely detached with no structure around, has been installed on a routine lotus pedestal. The lotus-seated goddess has, corresponding to the beauty of the lotus she is seated on, a sitting posture known in the tradition as ‘lalitasana’ – the posture revealing great beauty of form.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

Sculpting Serenity: Unveiling the Art of Crafting Wood Statues

Wood has been a preferred material for sculptures and statues since ancient times. It is easy to work with than most metals and stones and therefore requires less effort to shape it into any desired shape or form. The texture of the wood gives an element of realism to the sculpture. The selection of an appropriate wood type is necessary for carving. Woods that are too resinous or coniferous are not considered good for carving as their fiber is very soft and thus lacks strength. On the other hand, wood such as Mahogany, Oakwood, Walnut wood, Weet cherry wood, etc., are preferred by sculptors because their fiber is harder. A wood sculptor uses various tools such as a pointed chisel in one hand and a mallet in another to bring the wood to the desired measurement and to make intricate details on it. A carving knife is used to cut and smooth the wood. Other tools such as the gouge, V-tool, and coping saw also serve as important tools in wood carving. Although the wood carving technique is not as complex and tough as stone carving or metal sculpting, nonetheless, a wood carver requires a high level of skills and expertise to create a stunning sculpture.

1. Selecting the right wood

The process of wood carving begins with selecting a chunk of wood that is required according to the type and shape of the statue to be created by the sculptor. Both hardwoods and softwoods are used for making artistic pieces, however, hardwoods are preferred more than softer woods because of their durability and longevity. But if heavy detailing is to be done on the statue, wood with fine grain would be needed as it would be difficult to work with hardwood.

2. Shaping the wood

Once the wood type is selected, the wood carver begins the general shaping process using gouges of various sizes. A gouge is a tool having a curved cutting edge which is useful in removing large unwanted portions of wood easily without splitting the wood. The sculptor always carves the wood across the grain of the wood and not against it.

3. Adding detailing

When a refined shape of the statue is obtained, it is time for making details on the statue using different tools. This is achieved by using tools such as a veiner to make and a V-tool to create decorative and sharp cuts.

4. Surface finishing

Once finer details have been added, the sculptor is ready to smoothen the surface and give it a perfect finish. Tools such as rasps and rifflers are used to get a smooth surface. The finer polishing is obtained by rubbing the surface with sandpaper. If a textured surface is required, this step is skipped. Finally, to protect the statue from excessive dirt accumulation, the sculptor applies natural oils such as walnut or linseed oil all over it. This also brings a natural sheen to the statue.