Pair of Guardian Kings (Niō)
1200s
Maker Unknown
Japanese Art
Pair of Guardian Kings (Niō), 1200s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333). Chestnut and cypress wood; overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1972.158 These wrathful protectors of Buddhism would have once stood within the sides of the main entrance gate to a temple. One has an open mouth that intones the sound ah, and symbolizes the beginning, or life.One has a closed mouth that intones the sound un, and symbolizes the end, or death. This is one of a pair of guardian kings, or Nio. Their fierce expressions and postures indicate their protective function.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Chestnut and cypress wood
- Dimensions
- Overall: 167.9 cm (66 1/8 in.)
- Departments
- Japanese Art
- Accession Number
- 1972.158
- Credit Line
- Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Exhibitions
- Year in Review: 1972, Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture, Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018
- Rights Statement
- CC0
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