Lokapala Guardian King, one of a pair, late 7th-early 8th century
Unknown artist, Chinaexpand_more
Earthenware with molded and carved décor under polychrome pigments and goldexpand_more
Gift of Michele and David Deweyexpand_more 2003.242.1.1
On View in Gallery 207expand_more
These magnificent Buddhist lokapalas or guardian kings originally served as tomb guardians in an aristocratic Tang burial. Wearing elaborate headdresses and armor, and with a fierce expression on their faces, each king tramples underfoot a demon clinging desperately to a rockwork base. Their clenched hands perhaps once held weapons. These tomb figures are particularly masterful in their combination of the arts of sculpture and painting. The superbly modeled face of each king reveals finely painted moustaches, eyebrows and other details. The exotic suits of armor featuring decorative breast plates, animal head ornaments, and elaborate helmets were once completely polychromed with red, pink, green, blue, white, and black pigments as well as gold. Painted tomb ceramics such as these probably preceded the famous three-color (san cai) glazed wares that were introduced around 700 CE This pair is exceptional for its size, detailed modeling, and amount of original colored pigments that remain on the surface after thirteen centuries of burial.
Details
- Title
- Lokapala Guardian King, one of a pair
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2003.242.1.1
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.