Guardian King

Original Language Title平安時代　木造天王立像

CultureJapanese

Date10th century C.E.

MediumWood with traces of lacquer and paint

DimensionsOverall: 36 1/4 × 13 1/4 × 10 1/2 inches (92.08 × 33.66 × 26.67 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number77-16

On View

Not on view

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

Gallery Label

This armor-clad warrior is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the guardians of the four corners of the Buddhist universe. It originally was part of the pantheon of Chinese and Japanese Buddhist deities. Each of the kings held an identifying attribute—a small pagoda for the north, a spear for the south, a sword or stringed instrument for the east, and a brush for the west. Since these are missing from the armless figure, we are not able to determine his exact identity.

Provenance

With Mr. Nathan Hammer, Ticino, Switzerland, by May 9, 1977;

Purchased from Nathan Hammer by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1977.

Published References

Roger Ward and Patricia J. Fidler, eds., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection (New York: Hudson Hills Press, in association with The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 354.

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), no. 4, 379.

Mainichi Shimbun-sha, Japanese Art: Selections from Western Collections, vol.8 (Tokyo: Mainichi Shimbun-sha, 1980) pl. 59.

The Asia Society, Archives of Asian Art, vol. XXXII (New York: The Asia Society, Inc., 1979), 93, fig. 31.

The Nelson Gallery, Bulletin, vol V. no. 4 (Nov. 1978): 31.

Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information, is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete. Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image, please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.