Provenance:
French Private Collection
Carlton Rochell Asian Art, New York
American Private Collection, acquired in 2004
Published:
Carlton Rochell Asian Art, Icons of Devotion, New York, 2004, no. 5
Expertly cast in the form of a five-headed cobra, each finial has a hollow shaft so that it could be fitted onto the end of a pole. The socket of the lower end is ornamented with a kala head, its face with bulging round eyes, arched fiery brows, broad nose, wide grin revealing a pair of protruding fangs, and curly, pointed beard. Curving up from the kala, the serpent's body is covered with a pattern of finely-incised scales on its back, while its ribbed chest is decorated with a large, circular lotus blossom from which the five heads emerge. This motif is repeated on each of the nagas as well.
The five heads, which fan out to form a triangular-shaped hood, are quite menacing in appearance. At the center, the largest head has bulging round eyes that stare out at the viewer from beneath fiery, slanted brows. Below the flaring nostrils of its pointed beak, its wide mouth bears a snarling expression, with two rows of teeth and sharp fangs from which its forked tongue curls upwards. A narrow diadem frames its face, above which feathers are arranged in spiky layers with protruding horns.
The naga, a multi-headed cobra, is closely associated with water and in an important symbol in Khmer art. Representations of nagas are ubiquitous in Khmer art, appearing in both reliefs and free-standing sculptures—and even as balustrades guarding the entrances to temple complexes. This pair and others like them were most likely used on the ends of wooden poles which supported a royal palanquin.
