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Burma/Myanmar
Mandalay Period, 19th Century
Carved wood, lacquered and gilded with mirror inlay
h. 97 cm.
w. 36 cm.
Gift of Konrad and
Sarah Bekker, 1987
BC87.01.02
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| Kinnari and Kinnara are mythical creatures who are thought to live in the Himalayas and who came to Burma with the spread of Buddhism. They are half-human, half-bird dancers, musicians, and choristers. Benevolent spirits, the Kinnara as well as their female consorts, the Kinnari, are known to watch over humans in time of danger. A particularly fine pair of monumental Kinnari and Kinnara figures in the Burma Collection are covered with a mosaic of colored glass, a technique typical of the Mandalay style. |
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