Lot 78
East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A fantastical mold-formed pottery guardian figure known as a lokapala with a fierce expression wearing elaborate armor and robes over a portly belly as he stands triumphantly on a recumbent ox. He is adorned in greaves and a split tunic skirt with billowing back panel and flared sleeves on his upraised arms. Both hands are clenched, perhaps a separate weapon was held aloft at one point, such as a sword. His pudgy face has bulging, glaring eyes, goatee and pencil mustache under a helmet headdress with horn like flanges. The surface is masterfully painted like a luxurious brocade or woven silk with swirling circular and floral shapes in the original pigments of white, black, green, and vermillion red hues. Size: 7.9" W x 19.8" H (20.1 cm x 50.3 cm)
Lokapalas were demonic guardians from Buddhist tradition that were believed to protect the deceased, and often grouped in a collection of 4 tomb figures composed of a pair of lokapalas and a pair of civil officials to represent each of the cardinal directions. These figures were one of the few Buddhist themes depicted in Chinese funerary iconography. The faces of these lokapala are often painted to look like foreigners to represent the cultural exchange and spread of Buddhism from other parts of Asia. This may be Virupaksha, Guardian King of the West, both fearsome and wrathful- trampling the ox underfoot as a sign of his might.
Provenance: private Rochester, Michigan, USA collection; ex-Diane Keith collection, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, before 2000
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#182673
- Condition: Professionally repaired with restoration; all done very well and difficult to notice. Some nicks and abrasions as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice presentation with liberal remaining pigments. Rich earthen encrustations in areas.
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