Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Head of a Buddhist Guardian King
(China )
In Buddhist cosmology that originated in India, a mountain stands in the center of our world. On the middle slopes of this mountain dwell four heavenly kings, who guard the four directions. This stone head is a Chinese interpretation of one of these kings, although we cannot be certain which. He has been given a beard and mustache like those of the Central Asian traders that appear in art from China’s Tang dynasty (618–907), which helps to date the piece.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Yamanaka & Co., New York; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 3/6/1991 | Treatment | cleaned |
Geographies
China (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 18 1/2 × W: 10 7/16 × D: 11 5/8 in. (47 × 26.5 × 29.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
25.8