Harvard Art Museums > 1926.6: Head from a Column Support in the Form of a Crouching Winged Beast Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Head from a Column Support in the Form of a Crouching Winged Beast , 1926.6,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/209204. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text This leonine head of a beast originates from a group of Buddhist cave temples in northern China known collectively as Xiangtangshan, or the “Mountain of Echoing Halls.” Commissioned in the sixth century by rulers of the Northern Qi dynasty, the Xiangtangshan Caves are believed to have been an important place of worship for the royal family. The masterfully carved images are a vivid testament to the power, religious piety, and political aspirations of these royal patrons, who believed that the construction of temples and making of Buddhist images generated spiritual merit for the state. Although demons and monsters were generally thought to be harmful, their representations in Buddhist contexts were intended to demonstrate the efficacy of Buddha’s teachings in subduing evil. This head originally belonged to a winged monster, shown crouching beneath the weight of a massive altar at the center of the cave, reminding worshippers that Buddhism had the power to tame malevolent creatures and bring them into the service of good. Identification and Creation Object Number 1926.6 Title Head from a Column Support in the Form of a Crouching Winged Beast Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture, head Date 550 - 577 Places Creation Place: East Asia, China, Hebei province Period Northern Qi, 550-577 Culture Chinese Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/209204 Physical Descriptions Medium Limestone; from central pillar of North Cave, northern Xiangtangshan Caves, Wu'an, Hebei province Dimensions H. 63.5 x W. 64 x D. 34 cm (25 x 25 3/16 x 13 3/8 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Samuel Cabot and Mrs. George R. Agassiz, Boston (by 1926), gift; to Fogg Art Museum, 1926. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Samuel Cabot and Mrs. George R. Agassiz Accession Year 1926 Object Number 1926.6 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Publication History Katherine R. Tsiang, Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan, exh. cat., David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art (Chicago, IL, 2010), p. 238, no. 10 Exhibition History S426: Chinese Buddhist Cave Sculpture, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008 32Q: 1006 East Arcade, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 02/23/2023 Subjects and Contexts Google Art Project Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
