男神坐像・女神坐像|Male and Female Shinto Deities

Unknown

10th century · Japanese cypress with traces of color · Asian Art

This pair of Shinto deities is represented in human form, wearing Heian court dress to suggest sacred and secular authority. These figures were likely produced in connection with the ancient court practice of honoring the spirit ancestors of aristocratic families as a reward for their political and cultural contributions. The square faces, stout bodies, and deeply carved robes resemble the stylized rendering of early Heian-period Buddhist sculpture.

Artist

Unknown

Date

10th century

Medium

Japanese cypress with traces of color

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015