The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the acquisition of two rare and acclaimed wooden sculptures from medieval Japan: an image of the compassionate Buddhist deity Jizō, among only three extant works by the thirteenth-century sculptor Intan, and a representation of a female deity associated with the Shintō faith.
The wooden image of Jizō Bosatsu, a Buddhist deity known for relieving suffering and associated with saving children, is a rare surviving work signed by the 13th-century sculptor Intan. Commissioned in 1291 by a monk from Kōfukuji temple in Nara, it was sold in 1906 to pay for renovations. The sculpture, carved delicately from Japanese cypress, portrays Jizō as a youthful monk adorned in gold-painted vestments, now on display at The Met as part of the Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art exhibition.
The second sculpture depicts a 12th-century female Shintō deity, unique for its standing form among typically seated Shintō figures. Dressed in a Chinese-style robe, this figure is part of a set of 20 sculptures, five in Japan and thirteen in Western collections since the mid-20th century. Research revealed they were carved from magnolia wood, with dendrochronological analysis suggesting that the tree from which most of the sculptures were made was impressively large and over 180 years old when it died, and came to be revered as a kami while it was alive. The sculpture will go on view in Fall 2024.
“These extraordinary examples of Japanese religious sculptures are both powerfully beautiful and technically remarkable,” says Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Accompanied by richly documented histories, the works will further strengthen and develop The Met’s collection of Japanese art, as well as our knowledge of the profound artistic and cultural traditions they represent.”
Both sculptures were on long-term loan to the Museum from 2012 to 2022, and regularly on view in the Arts of Japan Galleries during that time. The acquisition of the Jizō sculpture is made possible by Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund, by exchange, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation Fund, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, and Fletcher Fund. The acquisition of the Shintō sculpture is made possible by The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2023.
Mike Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman of The Met’s Department of Asian Art, comments “Thanks both to major donations and curatorial acquisitions, over the years The Met has built a distinguished concentration of Japanese religious sculpture and painting. But these two works offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate the extraordinary expressive range possible in early Japanese sculpture. The Jizō is beautifully naturalistic and intricately detailed; the Shintō deity is a study in abstract minimalism. Shown together, they underscore how ideology can have an immense impact on aesthetic choices.”
Top Image: Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the acquisition of two rare and acclaimed wooden sculptures from medieval Japan: an image of the compassionate Buddhist deity Jizō, among only three extant works by the thirteenth-century sculptor Intan, and a representation of a female deity associated with the Shintō faith.
The wooden image of Jizō Bosatsu, a Buddhist deity known for relieving suffering and associated with saving children, is a rare surviving work signed by the 13th-century sculptor Intan. Commissioned in 1291 by a monk from Kōfukuji temple in Nara, it was sold in 1906 to pay for renovations. The sculpture, carved delicately from Japanese cypress, portrays Jizō as a youthful monk adorned in gold-painted vestments, now on display at The Met as part of the Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art exhibition.
The second sculpture depicts a 12th-century female Shintō deity, unique for its standing form among typically seated Shintō figures. Dressed in a Chinese-style robe, this figure is part of a set of 20 sculptures, five in Japan and thirteen in Western collections since the mid-20th century. Research revealed they were carved from magnolia wood, with dendrochronological analysis suggesting that the tree from which most of the sculptures were made was impressively large and over 180 years old when it died, and came to be revered as a kami while it was alive. The sculpture will go on view in Fall 2024.
“These extraordinary examples of Japanese religious sculptures are both powerfully beautiful and technically remarkable,” says Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Accompanied by richly documented histories, the works will further strengthen and develop The Met’s collection of Japanese art, as well as our knowledge of the profound artistic and cultural traditions they represent.”
Both sculptures were on long-term loan to the Museum from 2012 to 2022, and regularly on view in the Arts of Japan Galleries during that time. The acquisition of the Jizō sculpture is made possible by Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund for Asian Art, Florence and Herbert Irving Acquisitions Fund, by exchange, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation Fund, Brooke Russell Astor Bequest, and Fletcher Fund. The acquisition of the Shintō sculpture is made possible by The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 2023.
Mike Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman of The Met’s Department of Asian Art, comments “Thanks both to major donations and curatorial acquisitions, over the years The Met has built a distinguished concentration of Japanese religious sculpture and painting. But these two works offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate the extraordinary expressive range possible in early Japanese sculpture. The Jizō is beautifully naturalistic and intricately detailed; the Shintō deity is a study in abstract minimalism. Shown together, they underscore how ideology can have an immense impact on aesthetic choices.”
Top Image: Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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