This rare south Indian bronze mask is a glorious representation of the kirtimukha with bulging eyes, gaping mouth, his tongue split in two dragon's heads. The kirtimukha or auspicious face of glory is popular icon in South and Southeast Asian Hindu-Buddhist temple architecture. Known as t'ao t'ieh (the monster of greed) in China, chepu (a serpent devouring form) in Nepal and as kala (symbolising the passing of time) in Southeast Asia, the kiritmukha motif typically appears on archways, cornices, lintels.The kirtimukha or kala motif also appears in pre-colonial archaeological evidence found in Singapore. A gold armlet with a kala head motif in its clasp was discovered in 1926 at Bukit Larangan (Fort Canning Hill) and has been dated to the 14th century CE. Widespread consensus is that it is Javanese in style. However as the bracelet is more intricate in design and form as compared to other jewellery found at the same time, it appears more Indian.At the IHC permanent galleries this piece is a curatorial device to draw attention to artistic exchanges between South and Southeast Asia as evident in Hindu-Buddhist architectural motifs such as the kirtimukha.
