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![Untitled [studies of Japan]](/internal/media/dispatcher/19225/postagestamp)
Artist/Maker
Unknown artist, Chinese
Datec. 618-907 CE
MediumRed clay with remnants of pigment
DimensionsOverall: 22 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 4 in. (57.2 × 19.1 × 10.2 cm)
Credit LinePurchase
Object number1994.58
On view
DescriptionThis figure depicts a Lokapala (Sanskrit for “Protector of the World”) or Tianwang, one of the Four Buddhist Heavenly Kings who are associated with the four cardinal directions. The figure displayed here is most likely to be Vaisravana, known as Kubera in Hinduism and Jambhala in Tibetan Buddhism. He is associated with the north, the protection of Buddhist law, and is the god of wealth. He is shown with a lion at his base, and would likely originally have held a mace, purse, or stupa (a mound-like Buddhist architectural form used for sacred purposes). Lokapalas came to China via the Silk Road from India,
whose Buddhist traditions combined with Taoist burial practices leading to the production of figurines such as this for inclusion in tombs during the prosperous Tang dynasty. These figures of the Heavenly Kings protected the cardinal points of temples and burial sites, kept spirits in place, and warded off evil. Depictions of these guardians in ornate armor were found primarily in Central and Eastern Asia, while Indian and South Asian depictions usually portrayed lokapalas as pacifist nature spirits. The figure’s avian headdress is a symbol of Vaisravana’s power, and highlights the ancient significance of the bird as a symbol of divinity, sunlight, and authority across Persian, Indian, and Chinese cultures during this period.
Collections
Additional Details
Alternate Titles
Tianwang Figure
Guardian figure
Guardian figure
Exhibition History
2024-2025
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
2015
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
2012
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Archive Hall: Art and Artifacts," October 6, 2012 - (no catalog).
1996
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "The Hamilton College Collection: Selected Acquisitions 1993 - 1994," January 15 - April 7, 1996 (no cat.).
Clinton, NY. The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Menagerie: Animals in Art from the Wellin Museum," September 7, 2024 –June 8, 2025 (no cat.).
2015
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Seek and Find," September 1, 2015 - ongoing (no cat., brochure).
2012
Clinton, NY. Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, Hamilton College. "Archive Hall: Art and Artifacts," October 6, 2012 - (no catalog).
1996
Clinton, NY (Fred L. Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College). "The Hamilton College Collection: Selected Acquisitions 1993 - 1994," January 15 - April 7, 1996 (no cat.).
Provenance
1994: Hamilton College (Fred L. Emerson Gallery), by purchase at auction from Sotheby's, New York.
Published References
Emerson Gallery, Hamilton College, Friends of Art Newsletter, August 1995, Acquisitions 1994
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