Antique Indonesian Carved Deer Architectural Temple Sculpture

A monumental Hindu Nandi temple gate-guardian architectural ornament, born in India, dating to the 19th century, hand carved and painted, richly detailed, polychrome decorated, the wooden sculpture depicting Nandi, a sacred bull, gatekeeper, and vahana religious deity figure. Provenance: Acquired from The Neiman Marcus Corporate Art Collection. Details below. Dimensions: (approx) 49.5" x 43" x 12" An important religious folk art work, the Nandi is of carved wood and gessoed cloth, then hand-painted. In Hindu religion, Nandi is the mythical mount of Shiva. The four legs represent truth, righteousness, peace and love. More than a means of conveyance, Nandi is considered Shiva's constant companion on all his travels, so much so that in any temple dedicated to Shiva, there is a sculpture of Nandi. This symbol is a deity in its own right, and in India there are temples dedicated exclusively to Nandi. In Hindu symbolism, the bull represents both strength and ignorance. The white or light color of the bull symbolizes purity and justice. Symbolically, the seated Nandi towards sanctum in Shiva temples, represents an individual jiva (soul) and the message that the jiva should always be focused on the Parameshwara. From the yogic perspective, Nandi is the mind dedicated to Shiva, the absolute. In other words, to understand and absorb light, the experience, and the wisdom is Nandi, which is the guru within. The fact that Shiva uses it as a mount symbolizes how this divine figure removes ignorance while instilling strength and wisdom. A superb example, the life size work is in great overall shape, and presents wonderfully, having beautifully aged patina over the whole, highly desirable original, worn, rustic, naturally distressed, chippy paint, craquelure finish, that's delicate, and enhances the artistic antique character and rich historic depth. Detailed Condition Report: Fragile / delicate by design. Loss to one ear, age related checking and separation to carvings, fabric to hind quarters is released and tattered with minor loss, rubbing to paint throughout with wear indicative of age and use; later grey painted mounting blocks are attached to back and hooves. White glove in-home shipping/delivery available. Pickup available near Dallas, Texas Additional Provenance: Property from the Neiman Marcus Collection. Acquired from Heritage Auction, Design District Gallery, Dallas, Texas. From The Dallas Morning Newspaper; April 12th, 2021 Neiman Marcus is selling some of its history and valuables that have been displayed and stored for decades as part of the luxury retailer’s corporate art collection. The Neiman Marcus corporate art collection dates back to 1951, when Stanley Marcus (1905-2002), a life long avid art collector, purchased Mariposa, a large mobile by Alexander Calder and started a long tradition of buying original artwork for new stores as they opened. The Mariposa sold at a Sotheby’s auction last month fetching $18.2 million. The items are being offered through Sotheby's auction house, NYC, New York and Heritage Auction, Dallas, Texas. Many of the pieces were personally collected by Stanley Marcus from the 1960s through the 1980s. Some of the pieces are from corporate spaces, stores and the company’s archives, among the items are important antique textiles, tribal robes...

A rare and exceptional antique Southeast Asian Burmese hand carved and gilded teak wood religious figure Buddhist temple -monastery sculpture. Exquisitely hand-crafted in Burma (present day Myanmar) in the late 19th century, finely sculpted from a single piece of teakwood, exceptionally executed in period Mandalay taste, highly detailed and decorated, showcasing the most exquisite craftsmanship throughout. Modeled in an exceedingly rare and unusual form, depicting a tall standing Na spirit figure, adorned in fanciful Royal dancer garment, elaborately decorated and embellished with brilliant polychrome colored mirrored glass jewel inlays, red lacquered dress tail, he stands carrying a golden stag deer around shoulders and neck, the naturalistic deer having delicate four point antlers, all over an ebonized base, resting on a custom later Thai wooden pedestal stand. Dimensions: (approx) Overall: 27"h, 9"w, 7.75"d Figure: 19.25"h, 9"w, 7.5"d Base 7.75"h, 8"w, 7.75"d; 10.5"h with post Condition: A superb museum quality example, wonderfully preserved original antique condition with nicely aged warm rich dark patina and minimal losses. *Additional photos available upon request We immediately gravitated towards it upon first sight, and have not seen another piece quite like it form, quality, or scope. It would look amazing in just about any setting, with its remarkable design and visually striking eye-catching light reflection, it's sure to become a focal point of any space, while adding a thoughtful touch of rich cultural history, sophistication, elegant warmth, tranquility and serenity to any home! Provenance / Acquisition: Personal property of Genshiro Kawamoto (b.1932), a Japanese real estate tycoon and avid decorative arts collector. To give an idea of both the size of the collection and the wealth Mr. Kawamoto had amassed, he purchased numerous (many 100s) of multi-million dollar homes in Hawaii, always paying cash. A string of homes he purchased for $2M-$20M each with the intent of using them as museums, (most people use storage units) just to house and display items from his extensive collection of antiques and artifacts. About 30 properties with a collective value of $200M in the Kāhala area of Honolulu he left vacant for decades, allowing them to fall into disrepair and get boarded up, attracting many complaints and media attention. Mr. Kawamoto was in the procession of building one of the most expensive homes ever built in Hawaii at the time of his arrest and subsequent deportation to his native country, Japan, where he was found guilty of tax evasion, sentenced to four years in prison and had his assets seized and auctioned off. We acquired this wonderful example from a prominent antiques dealer in Maui, Hawaii, who personally knew Mr. Kawamoto and procured this sculpture from the estate. Mythological History: The golden deer...

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