Rod Finial or Ear Ornament with Figures

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Rod Finial or Ear Ornament with Figures

Indonesia, Central Java, 9th-10th century
Jewelry and Adornments; earrings
Gold
7/8 x 7/8 x 5/8 in. (2.22 x 2.22 x 1.59 cm)
Gift of Robert Stolper (M.86.116)
South and Southeast Asian Art
Not currently on public view

Curator Notes

...
Ancient Indonesian golden rod finials and ear ornaments can share a very similar form that makes it difficult to distinguish the originally intended function. Such is the case with this LACMA example. The front has a divine or royal couple seated in a relaxed posture and holding what appear to be drinking bowls. They wear plain headdresses, earrings, and lower garments. The figure on the proper right side is a kinnara (Sanskrit: ‘what sort of man’), a semi-divine being with the lower body of a bird. The figure on the proper left side is a seated male. The figures are surrounded by a foliate "sekti motif." Derived from the theological concept of Shakti, the creative feminine energy of the divine, it signifies spiritual potency and, in some contexts, high social status or religious piety. Closely comparable Indonesian gold figural rod finials or ear ornaments are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1998.544.78) and Yale University Art Gallery (207.142.269).
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Bibliography

  • Townsend, Jen and Renée Zettle-Sterling. Cast: Art and Objects Made Using Humanity's Most Transformational Process. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2017.