Gilded Horse Brackets (Pair)

This is a pair of stunning, gilded, carved wood, architectural brackets from Tamil Nadu. They are intricately carved in three sections, with warriors riding on rearing horses at the top, followed by crouching yalis, and then architectural details of the top of a column. These brackets would have symbolised guardians at a threshold and were probably placed on either side of a door. A yali is a mythical creature that may be portrayed as part lion, part elephant and part horse. Also, it has been sometimes described as a leogryph (part lion and part griffin), with some bird-like features.
The wooden bases have been handmade to display the pieces. The size of each bracket is 10 x 5 x 30 inches without the base and 13.5 x 5.25 x 35 inches with the base.