figure (ritual & belief: representations)

Figure of a Heavenly King, Tian Wang, or Lokapala in Sanskrit, seated on a plinth. He is dressed as a warrior in full amour with right arm raised carrying a weapon now broken off, his left arm is placed in front of the body with palm open. The eyes are bulging and the hair is secured on top with a headdress. Carved wood, with gold paint and red and black lacquer.

An inscription typed on paper affixed to the back of the figure reads: "This idol, name not known, was taken from a Buddhist temple which was turned into a school at the founding of the Republic, 1912. This temple was near Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Most of the idols, being of clay, were destroyed, but this wooden idol escaped - only the articles representing the soul, being valuable, have been taken away from the door in the back. A.C.M.S. Catechist recovered the idol and gave it to Bishop Sing, who gave it to Bishop Molong in December 1925."

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

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