HEAVENLY KING

China

Year First half of 8th century CE

Materials Grey earthenware, sancai glaze, pigments applied on the slip

Inventory Cc/6

Dimensions 99,9 x 44 cm

Definition Funerary statue

Collection

China

Additional Infos Provenance: Central-northern China (Shaanxi or Henan?)

Description Impressive statue of tianwang (gatekeepers; in Sanskrit lokapala<(i>) in a dominant pose, depicted in the act of subduing a luocha demon lying on a high base. The Heavenly King has his right hand resting on his hip and his left raised in a fist to his chest. The right leg, straight, crushes the demon's lower belly, the left is flexed and kicks its forehead. The head and hands are the only unglazed parts of the statue, and were cold painted. The King has a menacing expression, with large, bulging eyes, furrowed eyebrows, flared nostrils, long, raised whiskers, and a red, open mouth in a gnashing grimace. The demon below, supine, has a massive, pointed head with bristling hair; it has a menacing expression, enormous, full lips, and small, round eyes, with a childlike body and limbs armed with two claws, pushed up as if kicking.