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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
With the obviously widespread Hindu Faith, it would be hard to determine exactly where in SE Asia, the Indian subcontinent or the many archipelagos with Hindu following, that this panel might come from. It would likely take considerable research in material focused on Indian and Hindu art, as well as considering the type of wood and the use of these various gemstones in symbolism to even guess.
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I dunno, I don't think it would be
that involved. I'm sure an art or religions scholar, someone who knows his field down pat, would tell us the origin of this thing, without delving into the wood.
Without any factual data, to me it absolutely looks like a tourist trade piece, just going by the looks alone. The stones and beads are glued in, not inset, the decorations are also not the best in detail. I think the central plaquette holds the key. The 'king-dude' with the cobra and the flower must mean something. The monkey-like characters may by human, too.
FWIW, Shiva is frequently depicted with a cobra coiled round his neck.
That being said, I must confess that I've done absolutely 0 research on this piece. I've just been walking past it for 10+ years.
