Head of a Guardian

13th century

About this Brooklyn Icon

The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

This dramatically scowling head is one of the most masterful and monumental examples of Japanese Buddhist sculpture in the United States. It once topped a giant wood sculpture of a heavenly protector in a Buddhist temple. It represented one of four guards who stood in aggressive postures around an image of the seated Buddha. Traces remain of bright-green paint on the surface; his fellow guardians were likely red, white, and yellow, and together they faced the four cardinal directions. These figures were supposed to scare away anything that threatened the religion, including qualities such as ignorance and greed.

The head is an important example of sculpture from Japan’s Kamakura period (1185–1333), when artists started to create more expressive, energetic depictions of Buddhist deities. Although the body is lost, the face reveals a great deal about how the figure would have looked: alert, menacing, and muscular. The artist used rock crystal for the eyes so they would have reflected light. Together with the open mouth (with its brightly painted teeth and tongue), the glinting eyes made this face powerful and intimidating, looming far above the viewer in the dimly lit interior of the temple.

Object Label

This dramatic head once appeared atop the giant, muscular figure of a shitennō, or guardian figure, one of four surrounding an even larger figure of a Buddha that served as the primary focus for worship in a temple. The guardians stood in aggressive postures, fending off any evil that might come to the temple. With its crystal eyes and bright-green skin, this figure must have been an intimidating presence in the dimly lit temple interior. In the Kamakura period (1185–1333), Japanese sculptors introduced a new degree of naturalism and expression to previously idealized and serene Buddhist subjects. This head came from the collection of Kōfuku-ji, an important temple in the city of Nara.

Caption

Head of a Guardian, 13th century. Hinoki wood with lacquer on cloth, pigment, rock crystal, metal, 22 1/16 x 10 1/4 x 13 15/16 (56.0 x 26.0 x 35.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 86.21. Creative Commons-BY

Frequent Art Questions

Woah, what is this?
This head comes from a Japanese Buddhist temple. He represents one of the Four Guardian Kings, protectors associated with the four cardinal directions.
Most of this head is made of wood, as you can see at the base. The crown is metal. Look closely at the eyes, they're painted from behind to give them more dimension!
Awesome, thank you.
I wonder what was the original color of the crown and ring around the head?
It was likely a bronze or silver color that has now corroded to this green color. The head itself would have been painted in a number of different colors, the traces of which are still visible!
Can I ask what medium they used to paint?
They used lacquer to cover the wooden elements but I'm not sure what was used for the eyes. I don't know if you noticed but they are rock crystal and have actually been painted from the inside. Likely natural pigments were mixed with binders to create the paints.
So, I read that this statue was part of a set of four. Are their skin colors all green?
They were not all painted green, no. Some were red, for example. The names of the Four Guardian Kings are as follows: Vaishravana (Guardian King of the North), Dhrtarastra (Guardian King of the East), Virudhaka (Guardian King of the South), and Virupaksha (Guardian King of the West).
If you know who the four warrior kings are, then do you know the name that belongs to this head?
They were usually identified by the attributes they carry but in this case we only have the head, so we don't know which one he is. The kings are usually dressed in armor and carry weapons and objects that help them eliminate evil influences and overcome the enemies of Buddhism
Okay, thank you.
Woah, this is impressive.
This is the head of one of the Shitennō, a Buddhist guardian king of one of the four cardinal directions.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when this sculpture was made, buddhist sculpture reached its most expressive point in Japan. Sculptures like this would protect the temple from enemies of the religion. Take a look at his eyeballs, tinged with red. They're bloodshot because, as a guardian, he never blinks!
He’s cleverly placed to catch bridge-crossers off guard.
Funny you should mention that. This head was once part of a larger statue that would have been placed at a Buddhist temple. He represents one of the Four Guardian Kings, protectors associated with the four cardinal directions.
You'll notice that his eyes are bloodshot because as a guardian, he never blinks!
He looks fierce!
This head comes from a Japanese Buddhist temple. He represents one of the Four Guardian Kings, protectors associated with the four cardinal directions.
If you look closely at the eyes, you can see that they're painted from behind to give them more dimension!
They are also bloodshot because, as a guardian, he never blinks!
Tell me more.
This head belongs to one of the four Buddhist Guardian Kings, each of whom is linked to one of the cardinal directions, North, South, East, or West. Along with his fellow kings, this guardian would have stood at one of the edges of an internal shrine space (along with the rest of his body!).
Because we only have his head, we can't see how he was dressed or posed, or what he might have been holding. This means that we don't know which of the Guardian kings he is.
That said, we do know he was ever-watching. His eyes are made of rock-crystal, painted on the back side so that they appear bloodshot, as if they never close.
Where is the rest of his body
Sadly, the rest of the body has been lost over the centuries.
Is the left eye cracked on purpose?
The left eye is not cracked on purpose, this is likely an effect of age and general wear and tear during the life of the object. It dates to nearly 800 years ago!
This head represents one of the Four Guardian kings, a group of Buddhist protectors associated with the four cardinal directions. It would have originally been accompanied by a body.
What is this made of?
It is made of painted hinoki wood for the most part!
The sculpture also includes lacquer on cloth, metal for the crown, and rock crystal that has been reverse painted for the bloodshot, ever watching eyes!
Tell me more about these two heads.
These two sculptures represent the different ways Buddhist divinities are represented in different cultures. The first is from Cambodia and the second from Japan.
Notice the differences in facial proportions and headdresses. They're also made of different materials. The first is stone and the second is wood painted to look like bronze!
What's the name for this sculpture?
This head comes from a Japanese Buddhist temple and represents one of the Four Guardian Kings, protectors associated with the four cardinal directions.
The name for this object in our museum collection is "Head of a Guardian" but each of the four guardians had more specific names.
Because we don't have the body this head is associated with, we don't know which one he is. He would have been identified by the attributes he carried.
Ok, thanks.
What is the legacy of the four Kings?
They are actually religious figures, not real, historical kings.
It's believed that the four guardian kings were converted to Buddhism by Shakyamuni Buddha, and then vowed to protect both inhabitants of the world and Buddhist tradition.
That is why they are guardian figures. They are probably based on south asian deities that existed before the rise of Buddhism, rather than real people.
What is rock crystal? Is is valuable? Is is local to the city of Nara?
Rock crystal is just clear quartz.
Japan is a significant producer of rock crystal. The technique of insetting rock crystal eyes into sculptures was an innovation from the Nara area, probably by the Kei-School of sculptors during the Kamakura period.
The Kamakura period, during which this head was carved, is known for significant innovations in art with an eye towards realism as well.
These crystal, lens-like eyes are back painted and then attached via the inside of the head using wooden strips and pegs to hold the eye in place.
That's so cool! Thank you.
Can you tell me more about the eyes?
These eyes are made out of rock crystal, and have been shaped into lens shapes and then back painted.
The black paint of the pupil was applied first, then the iris colors, then the red and white of the eye. This figure is a Buddhist Guardian King, and would have been placed outside a Buddhist temple or shrine. As a guardian figure, he never blinks, which is why his eyes are bloodshot.
The technique of insetting rock crystals like this for the eyes was an innovation during the Kamakura period in Japan. The goal was to increase the realism of the sculpture. The rock crystal is held in place from the inside of the head, with strips of wood held down with pegs.
Thank you.
Is this Japanese and does it depict one the guardian deities (kongorikishi) found at temple gates?
Wow, you know your stuff. Mostly correct. It is Japanese and it is a guardian deity. However, it is not a Kongorikishi, although the distinction is very small. The Kongorikishi are only 2 guardians, whereas this is one of the 4 Shitenno.
Thank you!
The eyes look watery. How did they achieve this effect?
Great observation! The eyes in this sculpture are made of rock crystal, and they have been painted on the back with black, yellow, red, and white to form the pigments of the eye. The rock crystal makes everything behind it shiny and glossy, like real eyes!
These types of back-painted, rock crystal eyes were introduced into sculpture during this period to make the eyes look more life-like! They are held into place on the hollow inside of the head using a series of wooden slats and pegs.
Thank you
Dime más.
Esa cabeza es una representación de uno de los cuatro Guardian Kings, protectores budistas asociadas con los cuatro direcciones cardinales.
Originalmente, tenia un cuerpo también! Hubiera estado estacionado enfrente de un templo budista para protejer contra los enemigos de la religión.
Gracias!
Looks like he is meant to scare the observer.
He is definitely intended to be intimidating, yes. His eyes are back painted rock crystal, a technique for making the eyes of sculptures that was developed in this period in order to achieve a more life-like appearance. The eyes are also bloodshot, because he is ever-watching, and never blinks!
Scary! Thanks for the insights!