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THBChinese Tang Dynasty Guardian / Lokapala Figure, TL'd
Lot 193
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,600 - $2,400
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Starting Bid
$800
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
East Asia, China, Tang Dynasty, ca. 618 to 907 CE. A fantastical mold-formed pottery guardian figure known as a lokapala with a fierce expression wearing elaborate armor and robes over a portly belly as he stands triumphantly on a recumbent ox. He is adorned in greaves and a split tunic skirt with billowing back panel and flared sleeves on his upraised arms. Both hands are clenched, perhaps a separate weapon was held aloft at one point, such as a sword. His pudgy face has bulging, glaring eyes, goatee and pencil mustache under a helmet headdress with horn like flanges. The surface is masterfully painted like a luxurious brocade or woven silk with swirling circular and floral shapes in the original pigments of white, black, green, and vermillion red hues. Size: 7" L x 4" W x 15" H (17.8 cm x 10.2 cm x 38.1 cm)
Lokapalas were demonic guardians from Buddhist tradition that were believed to protect the deceased, and often grouped in a collection of 4 tomb figures composed of a pair of lokapalas and a pair of civil officials to represent each of the cardinal directions. These figures were one of the few Buddhist themes depicted in Chinese funerary iconography. The faces of these lokapala are often painted to look like foreigners to represent the cultural exchange and spread of Buddhism from other parts of Asia. This may be Virupaksha, Guardian King of the West, both fearsome and wrathful- trampling the ox underfoot as a sign of his might.
This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full printed and bound report is available to the buyer upon request.
Provenance: Collection of Y. Kayvan, Los Angeles, California, USA, acquired from a Los Angeles, California, USA gallery acquisition dates range from the late 1990s to 2005
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#170820Repaired, head reattached, visible break line on neck verso and losses along fissure. Loss to headdress as shown. Surface abrasions and chips. TL hole on base and second TL hole on verso of left arm. Fading and chips to pigments, but facial and clothing details are well preserved. Mineral deposits throughout and earthen encrustations on chest and face.Condition
- Shipping Info
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