Hand-Painted Vietnam White Marble Saraswati on a Carved Singhasan, 21in

Ma Saraswati sits enthroned on a carved singhasan, an arched prabhavali rising behind her like a halo of lotus petals. She plays the veena held across her body, one foot drawn up and the other resting down toward the base, where her swan, the hamsa, sits carved in the front of the throne. Her four arms carry the full set of her emblems: the veena, an akshamala rosary in the upper right hand and a palm-leaf book in the left, the marks of music, practice and learning that let anyone recognise her at a glance.

This is the most formal of our Saraswati forms. The throne gives her the presence of a temple murti: turned pillars on either side, carved panels on the armrests, a lotus border along the seat and a stepped base below. Her face is youthful and serene, eyes softly lowered, a small tilak at the brow and the faintest smile. She wears a draped sari over a fitted choli, the pallu crossing her torso, with a tall crown, layered necklaces, armlets and bangles.

The murti is carved at 21 inches from Vietnam white marble, a cool, clean white stone with a fine, compact grain that holds the small work well: the beads of the rosary, the strings and gourd of the veena, the feathers of the swan and the petal edge of the prabhavali. The stone is finished to a soft satin polish so it glows rather than shines.

The hand-painting is gold on white. The crown, jewellery, sari borders and pleats, the veena and the edges of the throne and arch are picked out in fine gold lines, while her figure, her sari and the base stay in the natural white of the stone. It reads as a white marble murti first, with the gold used to draw the eye to her ornaments and to the carving of the singhasan.

At 21 inches she is sized to be the main murti of a family mandir, a school or institution prayer room, or a small temple, and she sits naturally beside Lakshmi and Ganesh for Diwali puja or at the centre of Vasant Panchami. Each piece is made to order in Jaipur. If you would like a different height, a plain white finish without gold, fuller colour on the sari and skin, or a change to the throne, message us on WhatsApp and we will quote for it.