Minneapolis Institute of Art

Palanquin Hooks

Khmer artist

Date

12th-13th century

Medium

Bronze with traces of gilding

Culture

Khmer

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

At the height of the Khmer Empire (802–1437 CE), royalty and aristocracy traveled in handheld carriages, or palanquins. Transported on poles shouldered by humans, the carriage was suspended from decorative bronze hooks. Rich in imagery, the top ring consists of stylized lotuses, symbolizing purity, surmounted by a bud. Beneath is a kirtimukha, a fierce-faced monster motif intended to ward off evil spirits, which is lifted by Garuda, a mythical bird often depicted carrying the Hindu god Vishnu through the sky. Underscoring Khmer ideas of divine kingship, Garuda is also a conqueror of serpents (nagas), which form the loops hanging from its tail. As seen in the waterpot (kendi) on the left, Hindu theology arrived from India, but the combination of such elements into a luxurious, utilitarian bronze is distinctly Khmer. Cambodia, Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.