Architectural Sculpture: Face of Time (Kala-mukha)

Description

The bulging eyes and curved fangs of Kala emphasize the ferocity of the figure who stands for Time and Death, the devourer of all creation. Placed above the entry to an Indonesian temple, Kala serves both to protect the site and indicate a symbolic rebirth for those who pass beneath to enter the sacred space. Though related to the faces of glory on monuments in India, Kala and the volcanic stone from which it has been carved are distinctively Javanese.

Provenance

(Spink & Son, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1988); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1988–)

Architectural Sculpture: Face of Time (Kala-mukha)

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1100s–1300s

Accession Number

1975.104

Medium

volcanic stone

Dimensions

Overall: 40 x 45.5 x 31 cm (15 3/4 x 17 15/16 x 12 3/16 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund