Nepal, 19^th century. Powerfully cast as Garuda ingesting the heads of two snakes, his face with a wrathful expression, bulging eyes below flaming eyebrows, surmounted by a skull crown embellished with turquoise and coral inlays, flanked by two upright horns, the protruding hands with long prominent fingernails grasping the coiling tails of the snakes, and adorned with a snake necklace around the neck.

Provenance: German trade.
Condition: Good condition some wear, small nicks, few dents, minor losses, casting flaws, and malachite encrustations.

Weight: 4,660 g
Dimensions: Height 31.5 cm, Length 47.7 cm

Expert's note (added 28.2.2023): The Kirtimukha form of Garuda relates to the age-old Indian belief that the crawling body of a serpent appears in the atmosphere in the form of a monsoon cloud. This was a highly important natural occurrence as rain water renewed the landscape, providing prosperity and well-being for all. This snake-like cloud is synonymous with the undulating garland motif seen in other Hindu iconographies such as that of Khmer sandstone sculpture. Plaques and carvings featuring the Kirtimukha, literally meaning "face of glory" in Sanskrit, were traditionally depicted over the heavenly entrance to shrines and temples, reminding devotees of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and the monsoonal phenomenon, of her power over the landscape and their prosperity. This plaque was likely once over the entrance to a Nepalese or Tibetan shrine during the 18th or 19th century.

VAJRACHARYA, GAUTAMA V. “KIRTIMUKHA, THE SERPENTINE MOTIF, AND GARUDA: THE STORY OF A LION THAT TURNED INTO A BIG BIRD.” Artibus Asiae, vol. 74, no. 2, 2014, pp. 311–36. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24913485. Accessed 23 Feb. 2023.

According to Hindu and Buddhist stories, the giant, birdlike Garuda spends eternity killing snakelike Nagas. The feud started when both Garuda's mother and the Nagas' mother married the same husband. The husband then gave each wife one wish. The Nagas' mother asked for a thousand children. Garuda's mother wished for just two children who were superior to all of the Nagas. Their rivalry continued until Garuda's mother lost a bet and became the servant and prisoner of the Nagas' mother. Garuda was able to free his mother by stealing the nectar of immortality from the gods, but he swore vengeance for his mother's treatment and has been fighting Nagas ever since.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Paris, 8 June 2010, lot 380
Price: USD 12,500 or approx. EUR 16,200 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Statue de Garuda en Bois Laque Or, Tibeto-Chinois, XVIIIeme Siecle
Expert remark: Compare the related subject and pose. Note the slightly larger size (57 cm) and the fact that this statue is made from wood and dated to the 18^th century.



大型銅鎏金迦樓羅壁掛飾
尼泊爾，十九世紀。迦樓羅吞食兩條蛇，面部充滿憤怒，火紅的眉毛下大眼圓睜，頭戴鑲有綠松石和珊瑚的骷髏王冠，兩側有兩個角，長有長指甲的手抓著蛇的尾巴，脖子上飾有一條蛇項鍊。

來源：德國古玩交易。
品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、小劃痕、少量凹痕、輕微損失、鑄造缺陷和綠色銅鏽。

重量：4,660 克
尺寸：高 31.5 厘米，長47.7 厘米

根據印度教和佛教的故事，巨大的像鳥一樣的迦樓羅終其一生都在殺死像蛇一樣的納迦當迦樓羅的母親和那迦的母親都嫁給了同一個丈夫時，這場爭執就開始了 然後丈夫給了每個妻子一個願望。那迦的母親要求一千個孩子迦樓羅的母親只想要兩個優於所有那迦的孩子。他們的競爭一直持續到迦樓羅母親打賭輸了，成為那迦母親的僕人和囚徒。迦樓羅通過從眾神那裡偷走長生不老的甘露得以解救他的母親，但他發誓要為他母親報仇，並從那以後一直與那迦鬥爭。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：巴黎佳士得，2010年6月8日，lot 380
價格：USD 12,500（相當於今日EUR 16,200）
描述：十八世紀金漆木迦樓羅壁掛飾
專家評論：比較相近的主題和姿勢。請注意尺寸稍大(57 厘米)，以及此掛飾是木造的，且為十八世紀。