Architectural Finial

ClassificationsArchitectural Elements-finials

Culture Dayak

Datec. 1930

Made AtEast Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, Asia

MediumWood, pigment, and shell

Dimensions19 1/2 × 75 × 1 in. (49.5 × 190.5 × 2.5 cm)

Credit LineGift of Fern Wallace

Object number2012.2.1

DescriptionDragon-Aso architectural finial with large shell eye. Roof finials served as guardians of the house below. They often signified female deities of the earth and of the underworld, and were associated with fertility. Many other reptilian forms exist, such as water snakes and crocodiles. The dragon, or aso, is a creature made up of the body of a crocodile, the head of a dog, and the snout of a wild boar.

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