Female Shinto Deity
A Shinto deity (kami) appears as a lady of the Chinese court, her formal, long-sleeved garment resembling the robes worn by female Buddhist deities in images of the heavenly realm. Only with the importation of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth century did sculptors begin to represent kami in human form—often in the secular garb of the Kyoto court or in Chinese aristocratic dress, as in this example.
Scientific examination of this statue reveals that it was carved from the wood of a magnolia tree, felled at over 180 years old. The figure’s tall, attenuated, and strikingly abstract form recalls the vertical nature of the mature tree from which it was fashioned.
Scientific examination of this statue reveals that it was carved from the wood of a magnolia tree, felled at over 180 years old. The figure’s tall, attenuated, and strikingly abstract form recalls the vertical nature of the mature tree from which it was fashioned.
Artwork Details
- 女神立像
- Title: Female Shinto Deity
- Period: Heian period (794–1185)
- Date: ca. mid-11th–mid-12th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Japanese bigleaf magnolia with traces of color
- Dimensions: H. 38 1/2 in. (97.8 cm); W. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); D. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2023
- Object Number: 2023.641
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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