INDONESIA, JAVA, CIRCA 12TH CENTURY

Tantric Buddhism flourished in Indonesia during the eleventh century, and bells were among the many ritual objects that articulate its development in the region. These finials often depict ferocious creatures of Javanese mythology including demons and dragons. Other examples of these bells with finial handles include two in The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1987.142.17 and 1987.142.242). Another temple bell with a demon depicted with the same squat posture and with his two arms raised sold at Sotheby's, New York, 20 April 2022, lot 168.