Eight-Armed Dancing God Ganesha

This wooden sculpture from the Kathmandu Valley depicts Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu deity, in a dynamic dancing pose with eight arms. The dancing form, known as Nritya Ganapati, represents the joy and enthusiasm of spiritual realization. Eight arms signify the deity's superhuman capacity for purposeful action. In Hindu iconography, deities are never shown with just two hands. The figure is surrounded by smaller human figures in animated poses.

Ganesha is one of the most widely worshipped Hindu gods, known as the remover of obstacles and the patron of beginnings, arts, and sciences. The dancing pose connects him to the cosmic dance of creation and destruction. This piece dates to the 17th-18th century and stands about 35 inches tall. It's at the Art Institute of Chicago, a gift from Marilynn B. Alsdorf.