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China (Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Central Asia)
Not on view
The ferocious face seen on this saddle pommel would have protected the rider by warding off evil. Such imagery came out of South Asia, where similar kirtimukha figures adorned temple doors and were understood to devour time and, by implication, all things.
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Title: Saddle Pommel
Period: Period of Tibetan Empire
Date: 7th–9th century
Culture: China (Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Central Asia)
Medium: Gold foil and silver
Dimensions: Overall (largest fragment): H. 4 1/8 in. (10.5 cm); W. 10 in. (25.4 cm)
Classification: Metalwork
Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Elizabeth V. Cockcroft, by exchange, 2006
Accession Number: 2006.474a–ii
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