Ganesh Tea Pot?

 This little pitcher (it measures four inches tall by six inches, from handle to spout), appears to me to have a rough resemblance to the great Hindu deity, Ganesha. Although his trunk is not curled, one could see why it would not make sense with his present duty as (water?) pitcher.  The one other authority I questioned on this was not really an authority, he was only a person sitting near me when I decided to write about this.

                                                                               

 He thought that this pot  wasn't Ganesha. He thought that this was just some ordinary pachyderm head. He thought Ganesha has a much fancier face. But I have interesting reasoning powers and so I have deduced that this is indeed a representative Ganesha watering  pitcher, or maybe and more likely, a teapot.  No average elephant would  have those gold-edged, fan -shaped ears.  And look at those wise eyes. Most elephants would not look at you  like that.  

 At first,  I thought this little pitcher/teapot was a cream pitcher. Then I noticed the spout has little  holes. I thought maybe the little holes were more suitable to sprinkle water, maybe holy water? Or water for the special flowers to decorate somebody's shrine? Now I am thinking teapot.  I really don't know yet. But I will keep researching. 

                                                                                     I gave Ganesh the old tap with fingernails test and the ceramic body gives a lovely ringing sound.  But it certainly isn't translucent when I hold it up to the light, so I guess that precludes porcelain and we  might  assume that  it is some other type of ceramic,  maybe simply white clay... For its size, it is  very heavy, suitable  for an elephant head.

                                                                                     

There are no markings anywhere, so I can't be sure where it is originally from.  But I would guess by  the flower design on the forehead and by token of the fact that I believe it to be a  depiction of Ganesha,  this  charming  artifact is a former denizen of India.                                                                                                                         As mentioned previously, the body of the pitcher/teapot , is very heavy, as compared to modern such contrivances. Maybe the artisan was still

practicing his skill, or maybe that was the fashion at the time when this piece was made. It is sturdy!

                                                                               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      As many of you will know, Ganesha was the child of Shiva and Parvati.  There are so many stories about his birth and his attributes.   But briefly stated, it isn't just the Hindus that love the guy. He is widely worshipped or at least admired  by the Jains, some Buddhists and various other religions across the board. Most Christians don't acknowledge him, unless they happen to be the  open-minded-lovers-of-all-mankind type of Christians. Or the Christian-Buddhist-Hindu type of Christians,  Probably Thomas Merton would have been impressed with him.                                                                 GGanesha Ganesa or Ganesh also known as Ganapti,  Vinkaya Vināyaka), and Pillaiyar  And other names as well is supposed to be an excellent remover of obstacles and  will do wonders for the writing (I guess I better start putting flowers in this little pot.) He is also supposed to be good for knowledge and the arts. He has something to do with the first Chakra and the  Kundalini.  
                                                                                                                      
              Okay, that should be enough to whet your appetite,  you study up on him if you like. And if by any chance you run into anything in your research that might shed light on this joyful expression of divine honor, do let us know. We here at the Museum of Stuff Redux are not too prideful to edit.