Front Panel of a Buddhist Shrine

CultureChinese

Dateearly 7th century C.E.

MediumHard fine gray limestone

DimensionsOverall: 27 1/4 × 24 1/2 × 9 inches (69.22 × 62.23 × 22.86 cm)

Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust

Object number37-17

On View

On view

Gallery Location

Collections

East Asian Art

Terms

DescriptionOriginally the front of a small shrine or stupa. The door is protected by guardian figures, lions, dragons; dancing figure above the door and musical angels on either side symbolize paradise.Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco, February 18-December 2, 1939, no. 77.

Masterpieces of Sculpture, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, November 1-December 11, 1949.

Arts of the Tang Dynasty, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, January 8-February 17, 1957, no. 40.

Chinese Art, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA., January 8-26, 1962.

Treasures of Chinese Art, J. B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, KY., January 18-February 21, 1965.

Oriental art exhibition, Washington University, St. Louis., January 23-March 4, 1966.

Gallery Label

Dragons, guardian warriors and lions protect the exterior "house" of a Buddhist deity, while musical angels and a dancer suggest the delights of a paradise. The exuberance of the design has been enlivened by the depth of the relief, which emphasizes a complicated play of profiles, and by the sharp cutting, which emphasizes form-defining linear ridges, adamantine surfaces and forcefully articulated muscles. Note that the large dragons, monster above the door, and lotus pedestal for the dancer are represented as though emerging from the stone.

Provenance

Dr. Otto Burchard;

Purchased from Dr. Otto Burchard by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1937.

Published References

University Prints, Chinese, Series O, No. 176, 1938 (repro.).

Laurence Sickman, “An Example of Early Buddhist Sculpture” Parnassus (Jan. 1938): 8-12 (repro.).

Osvald Siren, “Supplement to ‘An Example of Early Buddhist Sculpture’ by Sickman” Parnassus (March 1938): 10:33 (repro.).

Art Digest, 12:15, Jan. 1, 1938 (repro.).

Golden Gate International Exposition, Pacific cultures division, China, San Francisco, 1939, no. 77, pl. H (repro.).

The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, The William Rockhill Nelson Collection, 2nd ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1941), 113 (repro.).

The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, The William Rockhill Nelson Collection, 3rd ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1949), 153 (repro.).

Dagny Carter, Four Thousand Years of China’s Art (New York: Ronald Press, 1948), 165 (repro.).

Luther Carrington Goodrich, Short History of the Chinese People (New York): pl. xv (repro.).

Osvald Siren, Kinas Konst, II, Stockholm, p. 112, fig. 95 (repro.).

Masterpieces of Sculpture. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Nov. 1-Dec. 11, 1949 (repro.).

Ross E. Taggart, ed., Handbook of the Collections in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 4th ed. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1959), 189 (repro.).

Laurence Sickman and Alexander Soper, Art and Architecture of China (London: 1956, 1960, 1968, 1971), pl. 57 A; paperback ed., (London: 1971), 152, fig. 103 (repro.).

The Arts of the T’ang Dynasty (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Jan 8- Feb 17, 1957), no. 40, ill (repro.).

L. Davidson, “T’ang, the Baroque of China” Art News (Jan 1957), 46, Front, and detail of guardian figure (repro.).

Chinese Art (Northampton, Mass.: Smith College Museum of Art, Jan 8-26, 1962) (repro.).

Sekai bijutsu zenshū (Tokyo: Kadokawa Shoten, 1960-), 15, China, vol. 4, Tang dynasty, pl. 5 (detail) (repro.).

Sherman Lee, History of Eastern Art (New York: 1964), 154, fig. 184 (repro.).

Theo Bowie, East West in Art (1966), 24, fig. 10 (detail, guardian figure) (repro.).

Chinese Art in Western Collection, Vol. 3, Sculpture (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1973), pl. 59 (repro.).

Ross E. Taggart, George L. McKenna, and Marc F. Wilson, eds., Handbook of the Collections in The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, Missouri, vol. II, Art of the Orient. (Kansas City, MO: William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, 1973), 37 (repro.).

Laurence Sickman, “Monsters and Elegance: Nine Centuries of Chinese Sculpture” Apollo Special issue for the Asian art collection in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Vol. XCVII, no. 133 (March 1973): 59 (repro.).

Arts of Asia. Hong Kong. November-December 1975, p. 48, fig. 10 (repro.).

William Watson, L’Art de L’Ancienne Chine (The Art of Ancient China). L’Art del les Grandes Civilisations (Paris: 1979), 160, pl. 64 (repro.).

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 Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1993), 308 (repro.).

Matsubara Saburō 松原三郎, Chūgoku Bukkyō chōkoku shiron 中国仏教彫刻史論 (Tōkyō : Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, Heisei 7 1995), Plate Vol. III, 724a (repro.).

Deborah Emont Scott, ed., The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: A Handbook of the Collection, 7th ed. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2008), 321, fig. 115 (repro.).

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.