Sculpture of an Old Man, one of the Four Omens of Shakyamuni Buddha
Alternate TitleBurmese sculpture
CultureBurmese
Date18th-19th century
MediumWood with polychrome and lacquer
DimensionsOverall: 59 1/2 × 23 × 18 1/2 inches (151.13 × 58.42 × 46.99 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Erika Bourguignon Charitable Trust
Object number2017.16.1,2
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThis life size polychrome wood sculpture depicts a standing Old Man, hunched over and grasping a cane, which is removable. The sculpture appears to be sculpted primarily from the same piece of wood, but each of the lower arms is separate and attached with wooden pegs. This sculpture depicts one of the "Four Omens" or four visions of Shakyamuni Buddha, which were popularly reproduced in Burmese culture in various media. The Old Man is the first of the omens witnessed by Prince Siddhartha, Shakyamuni, when he left the palace, followed by visions of a Sick Man, a Dead Man, and a Wandering Ascetic. This sculpture was likely created as part of a complete set of the Four Omens.
This sculpture is striking in its emotional intensity, created through a unique combination of extreme verism and abstraction. The old man has a naturalistic face, with hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and deeply carved wrinkles. The figure communicates a strained expression and his open mouth reveals missing teeth, another sign of advanced age. The treatment of the Old Man's body is more abstract. He is literally shown as all skin and bones, with ribs protruding and round veins snaking across his limbs. The Old Man wears the dress of a common person. He wears a dhoti, a loose cloth wrap across his waist and thighs, but is otherwise nude. He wears his thin hair pulled up into a tiny top knot, which is carefully carved.
The Old Man's appearance is accentuated by the application of a clay like ground, polychrome, and a varnish layer, possibly lacquer. The ground creates a plastic, modelled effect to the surfaces of the face and other areas of the body. Traces of flesh colored paint remain, along with blue and white paint in the eyes and blue paint on the dhoti.
Exhibition History
Unexpected Encounters, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, June 2–August 12, 2018, no cat.
With Algamene Ethnografica-En Kunsthandel, Aalderink, Amsterdam, by 1965;
Purchased from Algamene Ethnografica-En Kunsthandel by Mr. and Mrs. Paul-Henri (1906-1988) and Erika (nee Eichhorn, 1924-2015) Bourguignon, Columbus, Ohio, October 1965-2017;
Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 2017.
No published references known at this time.
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