Door guardian, one of a pair

Brandishing their weapons, baring their fangs, and glaring menacingly, these guardian figures would have flanked the entranceway of a Hindu temple in the kingdom of Majapahit (approx. 1300–1500) centered in East Java. After the fall of Majapahit, much of the rest of Indonesia embraced Islam, and Hindu culture today survives primarily on the island of Bali.
An excavation between 1910 and 1915 in the Mojokerto region of East Java brought these figures to light. They were subsequently presented as a gift to the then Dutch governor general of East Java, Mr. Van Aalst, by the local Javanese regent. In 1918 Van Aalst retired and received permission to export the figures to California where he settled. Over the past several decades, the door guardians changed hands and were placed on view in various museums before being acquired by the Asian Art Museum.