Null A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF A NIO GUARDIAN

Japan, 18th…
Description

A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF A NIO GUARDIAN Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Powerfully modeled standing in a dynamic pose on a separately carved naturalistic rockwork base, the face evoking a wrathful expression with reverse-painted glass crystal, thick furrowed brows, the mouth agape showing tongue and teeth. His hair is piled up into a high chignon and secured by a jewel-form headdress. He is wearing a flowing skirt which is decorated with stylized flame and foliate designs, and his muscular body is well carved. HEIGHT 72 cm Condition: Good condition with wear, expected age cracks, flaking and losses to lacquer, some with associated touchups, few small nicks, minor losses, and few repairs. Provenance: Hotel des Chevau-Légers, 17 January 1981, Versailles, lot 193. French private collection, acquired from the above. Copies of the catalog cover, description, and original invoice from Hotel des Chevau-Légers accompany this lot. Nio or Kongorikishi are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani, the oldest and most powerful deity of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon. According to Japanese tradition, they traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. Nio are also seen as a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva of power that flanks Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually a pair of figures that stand under a separate temple entrance gate, usually called Niomon in Japan. Guhyapada (Japanese: Misshaku Kongo) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a vajra mallet and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the ‘ha’ or ‘ah’ sound, wherefore he is also known as Agyo in Japan.

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A LARGE AND IMPRESSIVE LACQUERED WOOD FIGURE OF A NIO GUARDIAN Japan, 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868) Powerfully modeled standing in a dynamic pose on a separately carved naturalistic rockwork base, the face evoking a wrathful expression with reverse-painted glass crystal, thick furrowed brows, the mouth agape showing tongue and teeth. His hair is piled up into a high chignon and secured by a jewel-form headdress. He is wearing a flowing skirt which is decorated with stylized flame and foliate designs, and his muscular body is well carved. HEIGHT 72 cm Condition: Good condition with wear, expected age cracks, flaking and losses to lacquer, some with associated touchups, few small nicks, minor losses, and few repairs. Provenance: Hotel des Chevau-Légers, 17 January 1981, Versailles, lot 193. French private collection, acquired from the above. Copies of the catalog cover, description, and original invoice from Hotel des Chevau-Légers accompany this lot. Nio or Kongorikishi are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the Buddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are dharmapala manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani, the oldest and most powerful deity of the Mahayana Buddhist pantheon. According to Japanese tradition, they traveled with Gautama Buddha to protect him. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. Nio are also seen as a manifestation of Mahasthamaprapta, the bodhisattva of power that flanks Amitabha in Pure Land Buddhism and as Vajrasattva in Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually a pair of figures that stand under a separate temple entrance gate, usually called Niomon in Japan. Guhyapada (Japanese: Misshaku Kongo) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a vajra mallet and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the ‘ha’ or ‘ah’ sound, wherefore he is also known as Agyo in Japan.

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