Lot Essay
This superbly cast finial, together with its counterpart, both published in the German Khmer exhibition catalogue Entdeckungen on page 109, once served as the finials of a palanquin. Its long shaft is open at the end to fit over a wooden rod. The presented finial with extremely complex design suggests a manufacture in the northeast of Thailand during the late 12th century, well known for these elaborate examples. The Khmer people dominated this region for centuries, with the city of Phimai as its centre, and their artistic productions are of a high level and can positively be compared with examples of the heartland of the Khmer empire, namely the Angkor area.