Vina-vadini Saraswati

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The Rig-Veda centres on the ritual aspect of Saraswati by her name as Vak, the divine power of speech conceived as a feminine deity and Brahma’s instrument to create. The holy text talks of her lustre and her power to bless with knowledge, and even riches, but does not talk of her form. It is the subsequent Atharva-Veda that along with Shri lauds Saraswati as the large breasted mother with her bosom filled with an abundance of milk and the power to nourish and sustain. It is in this visualization of the goddess that her initial iconographic form seems to have evolved and has been aptly emphasized in this wood-statue. Except a little section of early Puranas that perceived her as the goddess of battlefield in her manifestation as Mahasaraswati, their larger section transformed Saraswati, the Rig-Vedic Vak, into the consort of Brahma, one of the Great Trinity. This transformation attributed to her all her splendour, formalism and sophistication.

Brahma is acclaimed to rise from Lord Vishnu’s navel riding a lotus. Hence, initially Saraswati was perceived as Kamalasana, one who had lotus as her seat. In her initial visualization she also carried a lotus, or two, in her hands, though later the form of Lakshmi almost completely monopolized lotus and Saraswati’s image was conceived carrying in two of her four hands a ‘vina’ – stringed instrument of music that Saraswati manifested, and in other two, a book and rosary, the attributes of her spouse Brahma, all three combined symbolised music – the cultural aspect of life, entire knowledge and introspection or searching within, that is, the mind’s journey within and beyond. As Saraswati manifested culture – the colours of life, the colourful peacock emerged as her mount but as much significant was the purity of her being, and hence, as frequently a goose alternated peacock as her mount.

Though stylistically a blend of different iconographic traditions, one, characterizing the style of ‘prabhavali’, other, the figure’s features, anatomy and overall bearing of the face, and third, the style of her crown and other ornaments, the statue is a brilliant example of how her form evolved over the entire past right since the Rig-Vedic period. The image conceived with a large breasted anatomy revealing gold-like lustre, vigorous youth and timeless beauty is essentially in pursuance to Vedic standards. To this the artist has added great figural beauty : an absolute anatomy, tall figure, fine fingers, round face with sharp features and poise, sensuously modeled breasts, subdued belly and voluminous hips, and infused into her legs the curves of dance and rhythm, as also unparalleled plasticity and fluidity. The four-armed goddess is carrying, besides ‘vina’, the rosary and the book. She has been sculpted as seated on a double lotus, carved realistically and with rare beauty rising over an as natural stem. The statue has around the feet of the deity a pair of peacocks so modeled that they also resemble the form of mythical goose. The figure has been installed in a floral ‘prabhavali’. The image is unique in the beauty of its form and divine aura.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.

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.