The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

One of a Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)

One of a Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)

c. 1560–1625
(1392–1573) to Edo period (1615–1858)
Japanese cypress (hinoki) with traces of color; crystal
68.5 x 71.4 cm (26 15/16 x 28 1/8 in.); 70.2 x 70.5 cm (27 5/8 x 27 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2020.215.2
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Some Japanese sculptors used to specialize in inset crystal eyes.

Description

Sculptors carved these two figures to look like members of the guard who protected the Japanese aristocracy in the 10th to 12th centuries. The pair belong in the roofed gate of a Shinto shrine. Their role was to embody the divine protectors of the deities, or kami, residing at the shrine. Their inset crystal eyes make them appear vigilant.
  • at least c. 1965–c. 2013
    Catherine Gray Jackson and Chapin Jackson, Darien, CT, by descent to her niece Dorothy Gray Shinn
    c. 2013–2020
    (Dorothy Gray Shinn and Ron Shinn, Akron, OH, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2020–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=One of a Pair of Guardian Figures (Zuishin)|url=false|author=|year=c. 1560–1625|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.215.2