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Feb 12, 2009

Guardian Figure: Nio

1200s

Part of a set. See all set records

Japan, Kamakura period

(1185-1333)

Chestnut and cypress

Overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1972.158.1

Location

not on view

Description

Paired with a closed-mouth Nio, this figure originally protected the entrance of a Buddhist temple in Japan. Sculpted in an expressive, dynamic style, this figure was created using several pieces of wood carefully joined together. This imposing figure was originally painted, though is substantially faded due to weathering. The carved wooden bases for the two guardian figures on display are modern replacements.

Provenance

Buddhist temple in Shiga Prefecture

?-1972

(Yanagi Fine Art Shop, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)

1972-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1972.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 60, no. 3, 1973, pp. 63–115. Reproduced: p. 98, no. 290; Mentioned: p. 114 www.jstor.org

Zenzo Shimizu, "Japanese Sculptures in America and Canada," Ars Buddhica 佛教藝術, no. 126 (September 1979), part I, pp. 67-88. Reproduced: fig. 13

Roukes, Nicholas. Masters of Wood Sculpture. New York: Watson-Guptill Publishers, 1980. Reproduced: p. 14

Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).

Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).

Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).

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Guardian Figure: Nio

Guardian Figure: Nio

Japan, Kamakura period

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