Vintage Balinese Flying Spirit Chaser, 1935

Purchased by the Burr sisters or our grandmother when they visited Bali in 1935, this hand carved and hand painted mobile needs a little work to be restored to its original purpose. 
 
It is a traditional wooden ‘flying’ spirit guardian designed to deter evil spirits when hung in a high space facing a door or window in a temple or home. Unlike most modern versions, it has a cup cut out of the wood on its back in which to leave offerings to the positive spirit guardian to amplify its protective spiritual energy.
 
This rooster-like bird comes in four parts, the wings and heads removable. We believe it is made out of albesia (albizia) wood. We do not know what the 24/TM on the ceiling side of the tail means.
 
The wings are supposed to fit into notches on either side of the mythical rooster/bird’s side, with the hand painted wings facing down. One of ours only fits in one side of the bird snugly, the other is a bit loose which is something a buyer would want to fix if planning to hang this bird. The other thing that needs repair is the hanging mechanism. Only one of the four original U pins is still in place
 
If it cannot be fixed, it also acceptable to place this on a beam or shelf looking down towards the door or window, treating it more as a statue than a mobile. However, it really is most beautiful when one can see the painting on the underside of the piece.
 
Wing span 20”, Length 15”, Height 9”
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.