Object Details
Culture
India, Orissa
Date
16th century
Medium
Ivory
Dimensions
Height: 10 7/16 inches (26.5 cm)
Diameter: 3 1/8 inches (7.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Baekeland
Object
Number
2016.001
Orissa became the major center of ivory carving in India from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries(…)
Orissa became the major center of ivory carving in India from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. Throne legs are among the most exquisite of these carvings and were made in the form of elephants or supernatural creatures such as vyala, that represented power and royalty. Here the lion-headed vyala’s fierce expression and strong stance, with its head turned completely around to look over its back, attests to its all-seeing capability and readiness to protect the throne’s sitter.
