The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Guardian Figure: Nio

Guardian Figure: Nio

1200s
(1185–1333)
chestnut and cypress
Overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1972.158.2
Location: not on view

Description

A pair of guardians usually stands at the entrance of Japanese Buddhist temples. Traditionally, the pair included a closed-mouth figure, one hand displayed as if indicating his potential power, and an open-mouth figure, expelling his full force against evil spirits. Nio figures were usually displayed outdoors, often with just the roof of the entrance gate as protection, and as such were particularly susceptible to weathering.
  • Buddhist temple in Shiga Prefecture, Japan
    ?–1972
    (Yanagi Fine Art Shop, Kyoto, Japan, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1972–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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
    Nippon no bijutsu (November 1972), no. 78. pp. 105, 106, 111
    Shōichi Uehara. "Wooden Statues of Vajrapāni." Kobijutsu 古美術 (December 1972), no. 39, pp. 111–113. Reproduced: plates pp. 105, 106
    Zenzo Shimizu, "Japanese Sculptures in America and Canada," Ars Buddhica 佛教藝術, no. 126 (September 1979), part I, pp. 67-88. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 70, fig. 13, and p. 71, fig. 14
    Roukes, Nicholas. Masters of Wood Sculpture. New York: Watson-Guptill Publishers, 1980. Reproduced: p. 14
    Liebson, Milt. Direct Wood Sculpture: Techniques, Innovation, Creativity. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2001. p. 14
  • Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).
    Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
    Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).
  • {{cite web|title=Guardian Figure: Nio|url=false|author=|year=1200s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.158.2