Antique/Vintage Bejeweled Wood Naga, Burma/Myanmar (11134B-KRK) SOLD
Original price was: $1,133.00.$963.05Current price is: $963.05.
H: 32″ W: 20″ D: 7.5″ SHIPPING INFORMATION REQUIRED. CONTACT US AT 213-568-3030
This exceptional naga was one of two that comprised a gong stand. Gongs were used in Burma for both ceremonial and musical purposes in religious, state, or secular settings. A protection figure, this naga is a superb carving elaborately decorated with gold lacquer and pigmentation. He opens his mouth wide bearing mother-of-pearl teeth and a curled blood red mouth and tongue to drive away malevolent spirits, also reinforced by the large glaring eyes circled in red. On first glance it is menacing, but its history as a protector of Buddha Shakyamuni make it prized as a fanciful, gleeful guardian. His scales are arched relief designs of mixed lacquer and ash and they are highlighted with inset cut mirrors and green sequin-like glass “jewels.” It is mounted on a museum quality stand and is in excellent condition for its age and use despite missing an ear.
Out of stock
Description
Nagas are powerful folk art serpents similar to dragons who live in the underworld or in waters, move through the earth as if it were water or fly through the heavens. Often described as a half-serpent, half-human, these semi-divine mythical animals have a past in animism and were object of rituals, worship and devotion as a spirit of the earth in South and Southeast Asia for two millennia. They are prominent in Southeast Asian Buddhist temples as protective and decorative objects flanking doors, above temple entryways, forming balustrades and at roof corners. Burmese teak carvings often use them as decorative protective motifs in ritual and secular art such as this gong stand one one from a gong stand, Highly ornate and bejeweled with inset glass and mirrors and a protective lacquer coating, this one is special. As a snake casts its skin in a symbolic rebirth, nagas represent rebirth in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. They are also the keepers of the life energy chi stored in springs, wells, and pools and, as they control the rains, they bestow prosperity and fertility, heal sickness, and grant wishes.
Sources
Tilly Campbell-Allen, “The Iconography of Nagas, Part One: Serpentine Folklore from the Abyssal Chasm,” November 17, 2017, on Buddhist Door Global
Khandro.net, Naga,
Barbara O’Brien, Naga, about.com
Sciencia, “The Asian Civilizations Museum A-Z Guide to Its Collections”
Additional information
| Place of Origin | Burma/Myanmar |
|---|---|
| Period | Antique/Vintage (1910-1980) |
| Date | 1910-1980 |
| Materials and Technique | Wood |
| Dimensions (metric) | Ht: 81.28cm W: 50.8cm D: 19.15 cm |
| Condition | Excellent, See Descripton |
| Item Number | 11134B-KRK |
| Shipping Box Size | Oversized. Call 213-568-3030 or email [email protected] for shipping. |