Flying Apsaras (Hiten)

late 11th to early 12th century

Not on view

Apsaras, or hiten in Japanese, are flying celestial beings that accompany Buddhas. These two examples, which display apsaras riding clouds and playing musical instruments, are believed to be part of a group of twelve or fourteen that formerly adorned the mandorla of an eighty-foot-tall statue of Amida at Jōruriji, a Pure Land sect temple in Kyoto. Although the disks and flying sashes are later additions, the apsaras themselves, carved in high relief in Japanese cypress and gilt, are dated to the turn of the twelfth century, when the Amida statue was installed. These apsaras once belonged to the politician Koizumi Sakutarō (1872–1937) and then were separated for many years until they were reunited by Mrs. Burke, who acquired them separately in 1987 and 1992.

Artwork Details

飛天像
Title: Flying Apsaras (Hiten)
Period: Heian period (794–1185)
Date: late 11th to early 12th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Japanese cypress with lacquer and gold
Dimensions: a: Diam. 21 in. (53.3 cm)
b: Diam. 21 in. (53.3 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Mary Griggs Burke Collection, Gift of the Mary and Jackson Burke Foundation, 2015
Object Number: 2015.300.251a, b
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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