Naga head (residential house) Kediri, Kediri-district, east Java province, 14th-15th century Possibly 1866 - 1867

Isidore Kinsbergen captured this photograph of a 14th-15th century Naga head from a residential house in Kediri, East Java. The Naga, a mythical serpent, holds a prominent place in Southeast Asian cosmology, embodying power, protection, and connection to the earth. Kinsbergen, a photographer working in the Dutch East Indies, documented architectural and cultural artifacts, often reflecting the colonial gaze of the era. Consider the emotional weight carried by this object. Originally a guardian of a home, it is now captured as a solitary object, stripped of its original context. What does it mean to extract such culturally significant items and re-present them through a colonial lens? This Naga head serves as a potent reminder of the complex interplay between cultural preservation, colonial practices, and the enduring power of symbols.