Provenance:
French Private Collection
Carlton Rochell Asian Art, New York
American Private Collection, acquired in 2005
Published:
Carlton Rochell Asian Art, Divine Incarnations, New York, 2005, no. 6
Each finial is expertly cast in two sections, with the upper part in the form of Garuda controlling a four-headed naga. Garuda's legs are covered with overlapping feathers, and he stands with his arms raised and his palms facing forwards. In each of his hands he holds a lotus between his thumb and index finger, and he wears a jeweled collar around his neck. He has a fierce expression on his face, accentuated by his bulging eyes and upturned beak, which is slightly ajar in a menacing snarl. On either side, the four heads of the naga are arrayed in a fan-shaped arrangement. They, too, appear quite ferocious, with bulging eyes beneath fiery, slanted brows, pointed beaks, and open mouths revealing protruding tongues and rows of sharp teeth. Encircling all the heads are layers of overlapping feathers arranged in three rows and surmounted by a projecting plume.
Garuda's legs insert into the lower section of each finial, which consists of a hollow shaft that allows each finial to be fitted onto the end of a pole. The sockets at the upper ends of the curved shaft are ornamented with a kala head on the front and a stylized lotus at the back. Each of the kala faces has a ferocious expression, with bulging eyes beneath slanted brows, broad nose, and grinning mouth with fangs protruding above a pointed beard of stylized curls.
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 a palanquin or chariot. There are numerous examples of chariots depicted in Angkor-period bas-reliefs with fittings that are very similar to the present examples and demonstrate both their functions and methods of attachment.
