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Guardian Figure
Also titled Wachterfiguur
1800 - 1900
- Medium
- paper, ink, dye
- Classification
- painting
- Dimensions
- height 118.5 cm x width 63 cm x depth 2.3 cm x length 118 cm x width 62.5 cm
- Museum
- Rijksmuseum
- Credit line
- On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase Felix Tikotin, 1947)
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
About this work
This painting was part of a set of four, each one portraying a protective deity. They were used in temples as hanging banners during outdoor public rituals. The muscular figure wields a large vajra. Derived from an Indian weapon, this implement represents not only the indestructibility of Buddhist law but also the power of Buddha in overcoming evil.