Hand-Painted Marble Dust Saraswati Murti for a Study Desk, 9in

Ma Saraswati sits on a full lotus with her veena held across her lap, one hand at the strings and the other along the curled neck. Her back right hand lets an akshamala fall in a loose loop, and her lower left hand rests a palm-leaf book on her knee. Her swan waits beside the lotus, a small detail that tells you at once who she is. The face is young and gentle, eyes lowered toward the veena, with a small tilak and a quiet smile.

She stands 9 inches tall, a size chosen for a study table: large enough to read clearly from a chair, small enough to sit beside a stack of books or a desk lamp without crowding the work. A raised round base with a beaded edge keeps her lifted off the desk surface.

The murti is made in marble dust, crushed marble bound and cast in a mould, then hand-finished and polished to a soft satin. It has a fine, even surface and is much lighter than solid stone, roughly 2 kg, which makes it easy to place, move and send as a gift.

The painting is kept restrained. Her sari and the figure stay white, with gold picked out on the crown, the halo, the necklaces, armlets and bangles, the sari border and the veena's carved ends. The lotus petals carry a soft pink blush at the tips, and the swan wears a thin gold collar.

She makes a natural gift for a student before exams, for a child starting school, or for a teacher, and she sits just as well on a small home altar for Vasant Panchami. Each piece is made to order in Jaipur. If you would like a different height, a plain white finish without paint, or solid marble instead of marble dust, ask us on WhatsApp and we will quote for it.