Vintage Bronze Oil Lamp Gajah Mina Elephant Fish Sculpture Balinese Indonesian

Gajah Mina Vintage Oil Lamp.  Mythical Balinese Elephant Fish lantern, crafted from bronze with heavy verdigris patina. Very unique piece. Meant to be used as an oil lamp in the days before electricity was common in Bali. Coconut oil would have been placed in the mouth with a wick to illuminate during the night.

About Gajah Mina;

The Gajah Mina is a mythical beast known in folkloric tales. With the body of a fish and head of an elephant, this creature has been known since antiquity in the Malay Archipelago. 

In the Balinese Hindu culture the Gajah Mina is one of the 7 mythological animals known as Makara.  And also is one of the animals of the Balinese astrological charts. The shape of this elephant-headed fish often decorates  temples and religious ornaments. 

This lovely sculpture is sure to please the collector of Asian or Indonesian art. Beautiful decorator piece on a side table or shelf as part of your eclectic decor.

• Approx. size: 17" long X 10" tall x 7" wide
• Handcrafted in Indonesia
• Genuine bronze
• Greenish verdigris coloration 
• One of a Kind
• Ships FAST from the USA