105. PANNEAU EN CUIVRE REPOUSSÉ ET DORÉ REPRÉSENTANT MAKARA TIBET OU NÉPAL, VERS XVIIE SIÈCLE Himalayan Art Resources item no. 1449 29.5 cm (11 5/8 in.) high A GILT COPPER REPOUSSÉ MAKARA PANEL TIBET OR NEPAL, CIRCA 17TH CENTURY 西藏或尼泊爾 約十七世紀 銅鎏金錘揲摩羯飾件 The Sanskrit term makara refers to a sea dragon or water monster featuring the trunk of an elephant, the tusks and ears of a wild boar, the darting eyes of a monkey, the scaled, flexible body of a fish, and the swirling tail feathers of a peacock. There are a number of variations of this form, though the mythical creature is often depicted in profile. The makara issues from a spray of churning waters. His head tilts back dramatically revealing a double set of teeth and curling trunk. Once forming part of the apex of a torana, this and another makara would have flanked either side of a Garuda positioned at the center. A complete example of the upper section of a torana is depicted in the Rubin Museum of Art (C2003.21.3; HAR 65234). See another repoussé makara published in Fisher, Art of Tibet, 1997, fig. 113. Provenance: Peaceful Wind Gallery, Santa Fe, 1995