Artwork Page for Monster Caryatid

Details / Information for Monster Caryatid

Monster Caryatid

鬼神

late 500s

China, possibly from Xiangtangshan, Northern Qi dynasty

(550–577)
Medium
Limestone
Measurements
Overall: 28 x 40 cm (11 x 15 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous Gift 1957.357
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The complex of Buddhist cave temples at Xiangtangshan, “Mountain of Echoing Halls,” is a central achievement of the Northern Qi period.

Description

This squatting monster with claws on its knees, braces its shoulders against an overhanging molding. The half-human, half-animal creature was likely part of a Buddhist cave-temple complex at Xiangtangshan, in Hebei Province, northwest China. Found in the lower registers of stone monuments of either architectural structures or statues of Buddhist deities, such monsters had a supportive function. Their scary appearance was believed to keep evil spirits away from the sacred sites.

Monster Caryatid

late 500s

China, possibly from Xiangtangshan, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577)

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