The Goddess Saraswati – Old Carved Panel

The Goddess Saraswati – Balinese Architectural Relief Panel

An early 20th century Balinese architectural carved relief panel of the Goddess Saraswati and her swan vehicle, in excellent condition.  Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. She is the consort of Brahma and considered to be the ‘Mother of the Vedas’.

Old Balinese architectural panels are extremely hard to come by as they were originally exposed to the elements and few have survived the ravages of a tropical climate. They were made by master-carvers to decorate the walls and screens of village temples, regional palaces and other important buildings.  Mostly they feature traditional floral motifs, but this one is particularly nice as it portrays the popular and much-loved Hindu Goddess Saraswati and her vehicle, the swan.  The carver of this panel adds a typical touch of Balinese whimsey by portraying the Goddess as a mermaid!

This panel, which is in virtually perfect condition, is probably carved in local albesia wood.  It was originally brightly painted, but the colours have faded and weathered over time to form a subtle and very beautiful surface patina.  It is one of two architectural panels collected in Bali (Indonesia) in the late 1980s.  I very much doubt that you could find an old panel like this in Bali today.

This highly original decorative panel would look great on a wall (possibly paired with the other one if still available)!

Note: As this is an unusually large and heavy item there will be a surcharge to cover the additional cost of shipping and insurance to destinations outside the UK.  Overseas buyers will later be invoiced at cost for any shipping and insurance shortfall (estimated to be around $100 to USA and Canada).