Head of a Masked Clay Tomb Sculpture (Haniwa)
This head of a haniwa figure was published in 1943 by Noma Seiroku (1902–1966), the noted art historian and specialist in sculpture. He observed the sorrow in the eyes and mouth, linking the emotion captured by the maker to that of soldiers at war. Such comparisons reflected a World War II–era yearning to revive an idealized, heroic vision of Japan’s ancient past.
Artwork Details
- 埴輪 面頭部
- Title: Head of a Masked Clay Tomb Sculpture (Haniwa)
- Period: Kofun period (ca. 300–710)
- Date: late 5th–6th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Earthenware
- Dimensions: H. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); W. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm); Diam. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975
- Object Number: 1975.268.416
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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