Temple Strut Fragment with Boar God, Varaha

This carved wooden temple strut from 15th-century Nepal depicts Varaha, the boar incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, when the demon Hiranyaksha dragged the earth to the bottom of the cosmic ocean, Vishnu took the form of a boar, dove beneath the waters, defeated the demon, and lifted the earth goddess on his tusks. Temple struts like this served dual purposes: structural support for temple roofs and religious imagery that transformed functional architecture into sacred narrative.

Wood carving was the primary medium for Nepalese temple architecture. The country's forests provided abundant timber, and hereditary artisan guilds developed sophisticated techniques for creating detailed religious imagery. Very few 15th-century wooden temple carvings have survived intact, making this piece valuable. It's at the Art Institute of Chicago.