Indonesian, Central Java
Jambhala or Kubera, 8th or 9th century
Bronze
H. 4 3/4 inches (12 cm)
George and Mary Rockwell Fund
98.128.002
Location: Floor 5
Indonesian, Central Java
Jambhala or Kubera, 8th or 9th century
Bronze
H. 4 3/4 inches (12 cm)
George and Mary Rockwell Fund
98.128.002
Location: Floor 5
In Central Java, small bronze images of the God of Wealth were immensely popular. The deity, worshipped by both Buddhists (who call him Jambhala) and Hindus (who refer to him as Kubera), is typically shown as a corpulent young man, attired in royal raiment. Seated in the pose of royal ease, he holds his attributes of a lemon in the right hand and a jewel-spitting mongoose in the left.
Small portable bronze images of this type have been found throughout Java and were used as...
In Central Java, small bronze images of the God of Wealth were immensely popular. The deity, worshipped by both Buddhists (who call him Jambhala) and Hindus (who refer to him as Kubera), is typically shown as a corpulent young man, attired in royal raiment. Seated in the pose of royal ease, he holds his attributes of a lemon in the right hand and a jewel-spitting mongoose in the left.
Small portable bronze images of this type have been found throughout Java and were used as votive images or icons. They were not meant to be housed in shrines; rather, they enabled individual patrons and worshipers to gain access to spiritual merit, or in this case, to assist in achieving prosperity.



Connect Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | foursquare