string(20) "edanmdm:fsg_F1953.87" Kneeling winged monster - National Museum of Asian Art

Kneeling winged monster

Detail of a pattern
Image 1 of 1
IIIF

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At A Glance

On View
  • Period

    550-577
  • Geography

    northern Xiangtangshan, North Cave, Hebei province, China
  • Material

    Limestone
  • Dimension

    H x W x D: 84.4 x 53.4 x 28 cm (33 1/4 x 21 x 11 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1953.87
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1953.87

Object Details

  • Provenance

    Originally located in the North Cave, northern Xiangtangshan, Hebei province, China [1]
    From at least 1950 to 1953
    C. T. Loo & Company, New York, from at least April 27, 1950 [2]
    From 1953
    Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on July 10, 1953 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] The removal of the sculpted figures and fragments from the Xiangtangshan caves began ca. 1909 at the time of political upheaval in China and continued throughout several decades, see http://xts.uchicago.edu/, accessed on November 9, 2009.
    See also J. Keith Wilson and Daisy Yiyou Wang, "The Early-Twentieth-Century 'Discovery' of the Xiangtangshan Caves," in Katherine R. Tsiang et al., Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan, exh. cat. (Chicago: Smart Museum of Art; Washington, DC: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2010), pp. 106-129 and Katherine R. Tsiang and J. Keith Wilson, "Catalogue of Works in the Exhibition," in Katherine R. Tsiang et al., Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan, 2010, pp. 178-179, cat. no. 10 (ill.).
    [2] See C. T. Loo's letter to Archibald Wenley, dated April 27, 1950, in which Loo discusses shipping the sculpture along with F1953.86 to the Freer Gallery, and "List of Objects Shipped to the Freer Gallery of Art", attached to the letter, copy in object file.
    See also Loo's stockcard no. NN: "Two stone sculptures, Demons," Frank Caro Archives, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, copy in object file.
    [3] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated July 10, 1953, copy in object file.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Promise of Paradise (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
    Promise of Paradise: Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture (December 1, 2012 to January 3, 2016)
    Echoes of the Past: The Buddhist Cave Temples of Xiangtangshan (February 26, 2011 to January 6, 2013)
    A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)
    Korean Ceramics (April 11, 1978 to October 13, 1978)
    Untitled Exhibition, North Corridor, 1969 (November 20, 1969 to December 11, 1984)
    Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
    Centennial Exhibition, Gallery 17 (November 17, 1955 to January 1, 1963)
    Stone Sculpture, Gallery 17, 1923 (May 2, 1923 to November 17, 1955)
    Untitled Exhibition, Asian Sculpture, North Corridor (May 2, 1923 to October 28, 1955)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
  • Origin

    northern Xiangtangshan, North Cave, Hebei province, China
  • Credit Line

    Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
  • Type

    Sculpture
  • On View

    Freer Gallery 17: Promise of Paradise
  • Restrictions and Rights

    Usage Conditions Apply

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