Black Marble Lakshmi Ganesh Pair with Gold Leaf Ornaments, 12 in

Black stone, selective gold leaf

Lakshmi and Ganesha sit side by side on one double lotus base here, carved from the jet-black stone the Indian trade calls black marble. Strictly it is a fine-grained black granite, the stone South Indian temple murtis have been carved from for centuries because it holds crisp detail and takes a deep, glass-like polish. Against that black, gold leaf picks out only the crowns, the jewellery and the rims of the lotus petals. The gilding draws your eye to the faces and ornaments, and the bare polished stone around it stays dark and calm.

How the pair is carved and gilded

The pair is carved to order by the specialist sculptors we work with. They block it out from a single stone, rough in the two figures and the shared base, and then finish the faces, hands and every ornament by hand. The stone is then brought up through progressively finer abrasives to a mirror polish. The gold leaf goes on last, laid by hand over a size coat on the raised ornament only, so the polished planes beside it stay untouched. We brief the sculptor and follow every stage on your behalf.

The iconography of the pair

Both deities are four-armed and carry their canonical attributes. Lakshmi holds lotuses in her upper hands, and one lower hand lets a stream of coins fall into a pot at the base. Ganesha raises one hand in abhaya, holds a modak in another, and his trunk curves to his left, the gentle and most widely worshipped form for a home altar. His mouse vahana sits at the foot of the lotus. Lakshmi sits on Ganesha's right, the arrangement most families follow for Diwali Lakshmi puja.

Where a 12-inch pair fits

At 12 inches tall the pair suits a living-room console, a bookshelf niche, a compact mandir shelf or an office reception counter. A modern interior suits it especially well: dark stone and gilding read clearly against white or warm-wood walls, and the polished surface catches diya light on Diwali evening. It also makes a lasting Diwali gift, since it does not need a dedicated pooja room to look right.

We can quote this pair in other heights, without the gold leaf for a fully black piece, or in Makrana white marble with the same selective gilding. Message us on WhatsApp with the size and finish you have in mind.