Gilt Figure of Marichi
18th century
Maker Unknown
Asian Art
Buddhists of several cultures worship Marichi, the goddess of dawn, because she drives away the darkness of night as well as the spiritual darkness caused by ignorance and fear. Like many Buddhist deities, she is usually depicted with many hands and faces, each representing a different ability or characteristic.
One of Marichi’s faces is that of a boar, much admired in Asia for its tenacity. Her central face is placid, while her other face is fierce, representing the goddess’s ability to be both a gentle guide and a ferocious protector.
One of Marichi’s faces is that of a boar, much admired in Asia for its tenacity. Her central face is placid, while her other face is fierce, representing the goddess’s ability to be both a gentle guide and a ferocious protector.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Bronze with traces of gilding
- Locations
- Place made: China
- Dynasty
- Qing Dynasty
- Period
- Qing Dynasty
- Dimensions
- 36 × 37 × 22 in. (91.4 × 94 × 55.9 cm)
- Departments
- Asian Art
- Accession Number
- 10.221
- Credit Line
- Gift of Robert B. Woodward and Carll H. de Silver
- Exhibitions
- The Goddess in Indian Art
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- Asian Galleries, Southwest Lobby, 2nd floor
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
