- Title
- Standard Holder with Dragon Snakes Rearing in Foliage
- Date Made
- 14th century
- Medium
- Earthenware
- Dimensions
- 17 x 15 x 12 in. (43.2 x 38.1 x 30.5 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.87.276.2
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
This earthenware foliate base was likely a standard holder for banners or flags mounted on poles that would be inserted into the open mouths of the two rearing dragon snakes (Xenodermus javanicus). Known in Indonesian as Ular Naga Jawa (Java Dragon Snake) or simply Ular Naga, dragon snakes are non-venomous and, hence, lack specialized fangs. They have two rows of teeth often depicted in wide-open menacing mouths. These reptilian creatures, which in art blend snake-like features with dragon-like attributes, are believed to be powerful guardian and fertility spirits in the mythology of Indonesia and many Southeast Asian cultures. They are often portrayed near temples, at entrances, on house gables, and on ritual objects.