Nepal, mythical creatures (3)

15th century, Nepal, garuda (and nagas), gilt bronze with gems and pigment, private collection, photo on Christie’s .

Like Kirtimukha, garudas (not to be confused with Lord Garuda ) are often at the apex of a flaming arch, but they have a full body, with two (bird’s) legs, two arms, and two wings, a flaming mane, a sun-and-moon symbol between sharp horns, and an eagle’s beak. The above is flanked by a naga king and a naga queen whose tails are entwined under its claws.

Circa 16th century, Nepal, garuda finial, gilt copper, private collection, photo on Christie’s .

A rather friendly example with a feathery chest, adorned with snakes, including one to tie its topknot.

Circa 16th century, Nepal, makara torana, carved wood, private collection, photo on Koller .

In Nepal, Kirtimukha placed at the top of the arch surrounding one or various entities often holds a snake in his hands and mouth, like a garuda. On this example there is a folded parasol at the apex, garland holders (vidyadharas) at the sides, three figures in the middle, two makaras and two female figures on the lower portion.

Circa 15th century, Nepal, makara, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on Christie’s .

A fragment with a makara, surrounded by scrolling lotuses and tendrils containing various figures.

14th century, Nepal, apsara, wood, item 2003.35.1 at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (USA). Update 06/07/22: according to the nhrc this architectural element belongs to a Buddhist monastery in Itum Bahal, Kathmandu, Nepal, and according to this article  , it was returned to Nepal this year.

Nepal, mythical creatures (2)

15th century, Nepal, gilt bronze, garuda, private collection, photo on Christie’s .

Mandorlas made by Newar artists usually have a garuda (or sometimes Kirtimukha) at the top, flanked by two naga kings or two naginis. A garuda has the legs and wings of a bird, the arms and torso of a human, a head with ears, bushy eyebrows, flaming hair, the beak of an eagle, and two horns, with a sun-and-moon symbol between them.

18th century, Nepal, garuda, stone, private collection, photo on lot-art .

18th century, Nepal, garuda, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on  Hardt .

Mid 15th to mid 16th century, Nepal, nagaraja, gilt copper alloy, photo by Elizabeth Matt, item 50.185.2 at the Seattle Art Museum (USA).

Mid 15th to mid 16th century, Nepal, nagaraja, gilt copper alloy, photo by Elizabeth Matt, item 50.185.1 at the Seattle Art Museum (USA).

Half human and half snake, naga kings have a hood of cobra snakes and wear princely jewellery.

18th century, Nepal, makara, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on Mossgreen .

Half crocodile and half elephant, with horns and a flaming mane, a makara may have four legs and a scrolling tail, or two legs and a fish tail as above.

Circa 17th century, Nepal, vidyadharas (labelled ‘angels’), gilt (copper) repoussé, private collection, photo on Antiques Reporter .

In Buddhist art a vidyadhara is a celestial being that holds a garland in both hands and appears to be floating above a main deity.

16th-17th century, Nepal, labelled ‘Naja Chenmo’ (?), wood, private collection, photo on Ethereal .

Nepal, mythical creatures

FOR MORE DETAILS SEE THE PAGE ON ANIMALS AND MYTHICAL CREATURES (LEFT-HAND TOOLBAR).

16th-17th century, Nepal, nagaraja (labelled ‘bodhisattva’), copper repoussé, private collection, photo on Bonhams

This fragment from the top of a prabhamandala depicts a naga king with four arms, half crouching and half kneeling, his lower left hand grabbing the foot of a garuda that would have been at the apex, his upper right hand brandishing a solar wheel. As is often the case, the remaining lower hand is placed on his knee. His naga hood is missing.

15th-16th century, Nepal, Nagaraja, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo by Sotheby’s.

This naga king has four hands and a hood made of five cobra snakes. He holds a wheel and a sword.

16th century, Nepal, makaras and nagaraja, gilt copper repoussé with traces of red pigment, at the Art Institute of Chicago (USA).

This one (placed at the wrong angle) only has two arms. His left hand clutches a garuda’s leg, the right one wields a (missing) solar wheel. The makaras go right below on the arch.

15th century, Nepal, kinnara, gilt copper, private collection, photo on Artkhade .

In Himalayan art, these celestial musicians usually have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a bird, with webbed feet or with claws.

17th century, Nepal, apsara, gilt bronze, private collection, photo on Hardt

These celestial female dancers, on the other hand, have a human body and wings.

Circa 18th century, Nepal, garuda, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on  Leonard Joel .

Garudas have the legs, wings and head of an eagle (with horns), the arms and torso of a human, and hold a long snake (naga) in their hands and beak.

16th century, Nepal, Chepu, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on Robyn Buntin

Known as Chepu in Nepal, where he is particularly worshipped, Kirtimukha often decorates the top of toranas and the front of crowns made by Newar artists. He only has a face and two hands, in which he holds vegetation that comes out of his mouth. On Nepalese backplates he often holds a long snake too. Originally he emerged from a cloudscape. See ‘Kirtimukha, the serpentine motif and garuda: the story of a lion that turned into a big bird’ by Gautama V. Vajracharya.

Nepal, Nagas and other creatures

11th-12th century, Nepal, Kathmandu Valley, Buddha sheltered by serpent king Muchalinda, schist, 44,2 cm, at the Art Institute of Chicago (USA).

The historical buddha is seated with his hands in the gesture of meditation under the protective hood of Muchalinda, king of the nagas, usually depicted with seven cobra heads.

13th century, Nepal, handle with five intertwined nagas, copper alloy, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (USA).

Five playful characters adorn this handle formed by a long serpent. The middle three have a naga hood, arms and legs, the first one from the bottom has a naga/cobra hood and lower body, the others have a naga hood and legs.

16th century, Nepal, fragment from the backplate of an icon, gilt copper alloy, photo on Metropolitan Museum of Art  as before.

This elephant supports a winged lion (viyala), a boy with a semi-divine appearance riding a horse-like animal with a scaly body (sharabha) and holding up a triple gem in his left hand. The top is decorated with a makara. (See the page on animals and mythical creatures at the top of the left-hand column of this blog).

16th century, Nepal, nagaraja Kalya with his wife and young Krishna, copper alloy, 14 cm, private collection, photo on Koller

Although these characters belong to the Hindu pantheon, naga kings are also part of Himalayan Buddhist art and this rare (Hindu) sculpture of an endearing couple illustrates their half human and half serpentine aspect. The king wears a hood made of three cobra heads, his wife’s naga hood is made of one cobra head only. They have an urna on their forehead and wear a crown and princely jewellery. Crouching on their tails, coiled and entwined, appears a young Krishna.

Her hands are affectionately placed on her husband’s chest and back. He holds a serpentine sceptre.

14th century, Nepal, Viyala, gilt copper alloy repoussé and traces of pigment, labelled ‘vyala’ on HAR , at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (USA).

Also part of a torana (back plate of a buddha’s throne), this fragment shows a sharabha (or a viyala) standing on its hind legs among scrolling vegetation, a boy with a rincely appearance seated on its back, making the fear-allaying gesture with his right hand and holding a solar wheel in the other.

15th century, Nepal or Tibet, prabhamandala fragment depicting (a) garuda and naga (kings) gilt bronze, private collection, photo on Sotheby’s

Often placed at the top of backplates in Nepal and Tibet, the garuda is the enemy of the nagas. He crouches with his arms extended to hold a long snake (broken here) in his beak. The naga kings below him grab him by the talons with one hand and hold a solar wheel in the other (cakra).

Circa 15th century, Tibet or Nepal, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo by Sotheby’s.

For comparison, this torana top, possibly from Tibet, includes a central arch with five buddhas around it, a small bodhisattva and a large makara on each side.

16th-17th century, Nepal, torana fragment, gilt copper repoussé, private collection, photo on Woolley & Wallis

Kirtimukha, of Hindu origin, is particularly popular in Nepal and Tibet. He often has vegetation coming out of his mouth (originally he emerged from a cloudscape) and is a recurrent feature in Malla art, especially on the central panel of crowns and at the top of back plates. He is seen here devouring nagas and accompanied by two makaras.

Nepal, garudas and Garuda

17th century, Nepal, garuda, gilt copper alloy with semi-precious stones, 13,65 cm, (labelled ‘1200-1299 on HAR ), at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York (USA).

In Buddhism, garudas are mythical creatures, enemies of the nagas, half-men half birds, with two arms and wings, an eagle’s face with two horns, a bird’s legs and claws. They are often depicted with a long snake in their beak and are at the top of numerous mandorlas made in Nepal or Tibet.

13th-14th century, Nepal, Garuda, gilt bronze, private collection, photo on Christie’s

In Hinduism and Buddhism, (Lord) Garuda has the body of a strong man and two wings. His face is usually human but he may have the beak of an eagle. He is adorned with snakes.

Nepal, a rare ‘nagaraja’

11th century, Nepal, nagaraja, bronze, at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore (USA).

This rare and beautiful sculpture depicts a handsome nagaraja or ‘king of the nagas’, seated on a cushion made of entwined snakes, holding a jewel in his right hand and a dish filled with jewels in the other. He wears a tall crown with a floral design topped with five snake heads, each with a round object on them –  likely to be the ‘divine pearl of wisdom’. The one-piece flaming mandorla behind him has a small bar in the middle to prevent breakage.