Balinese Carved Wood Garuda Statue. Intricately carved figure sitting on a stand, all in one piece. 

Size: 5 1/4 x 6 1/2 x 8 in. 

Garuda is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (vahana) of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths, and is described in all as the king of the birds and sometimes a kite-like figure, able to fly at a moment’s notice. He is shown either in a zoomorphic form (a giant bird with partially open wings) or an anthropomorphic form (a man with wings and some ornithic features). Generally portrayed as a protector with the power to swiftly travel anywhere, ever vigilant and an enemy of serpents, he became Vishnu’s mount while on a quest to acquire Amrita, the elixir of immortality, to free his mother from slavery, and is now permanently associated with Vishnu as an extension of his power. The Hindu texts on Garuda iconography vary in their details, either eagle-like when in bird form or thin and angular with an eagle-like nose and legs in his human form. The earliest Garuda iconography is found in early temples of India, such as on the underside of the eave at Cave 3 entrance of the Badami cave temples from the 6th Century. Garuda is a part of state insignia of India, Indonesia and Thailand, and in Bali and Java the Garuda has become a primary cultural symbol, often made into wooden statues and masks for artworks and souvenirs.