Country Group: South and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam)

Item id: 406

This is a one of a kind sculpture of the face of Garuda, the Hindu Bird/Man deity who is sometimes depicted in S.E. Asian art, often with Vishnu. This piece comes from the old kingdom of Haripunchai, and is in the vicinity of 700 to 1,000 years old. It is extremely expressive, with a deliberately asymetrical mouth, which is highly unusual in S.E. Asian art. I got this piece as part of a large group of items purchased together, so I'll start it low with no reserve. I've never had anything like it. It stands 3 inches high by 1 and 5/8 inches deep not including the (included) wood frame/stand. This terractotta piece is in excellent condition with no restoration I can detect: my guess is that it was probably long ago attached to a wall, and was never part of a sculpture in the round. Lovely!