Yali and Elephant Lamp Pedestal

This bronze lamp pedestal of a yali standing on an elephant is from Bengal. A yali is a mythical creature that may be portrayed as part lion, (as here) part elephant and part bird. The yali is said to be a guardian creature, protecting human beings both physically and spiritually. It is regarded as fearless and possessing supremacy over the animal world. The yali is also believed to be the symbolic representation of man's struggle with the elemental forces of nature. This particular yali has the body and face of a lion with rams horns on his head and wings rising from its shoulders. He is reared up on his hind legs on the back of a crouching elephant. The elephant has a beautiful floral engraving of a blanket on its back and sits on an oval stepped plinth with its trunk raised.