Five Water Spouts, Frog, and Lintel (12th - 13th century; installed 1976).
Volcanic stone
Height: Tiger 3'4"; Makara 3'1";
Ram 3'3"; Makara 3'2"; Elephant 3'2"; Frog 2';
Width: Lintel 2'4 1/2"
From Java, Indonesia
As long ago as the 8th century, temples expressing Hindu and Buddhist religious beliefs appeared on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Many of the temple sites in eastern Java had pools for ritual bathing where the water flowed through carved stone spouts. In 1979 the Fairmount Park Art Association acquired five of these spouts as well as a frog figure and a lintel, and the Mabel Pew Myrin Trust supported their installation at the Sculpture Garden.
Three of the spouts resemble a tiger, a ram, and an elephant. Two are makaras, mythical creatures that appear in Indian and Indonesian art. The overhead lintel shows a kala, which was thought to be both a ferocious and a protective force: a visitor who passed through a kala gateway was symbolically devoured and reborn.
Enjoy the journey...ADP
