Bodhisattva Sculptures

Ancient sculptures of bodhisattvas in various poses highlight exquisite craftsmanship, depicting spiritual figures from different cultural heritages.

Pre-Colombian head of a statue of a priest, from Ecuador. Dated 500 AD

Pair of Ritual Staffs (ẹdan Ògbóni), 1800s. Africa, West Africa, Nigeria, Yorùbá-style maker. Copper alloy and iron; overall: 15 cm (5 7/8 in.). Castings in brass or bronze depicting a female and male joined by a chain are one of the primary symbols of membership in the powerful Oshugbo/Ogboni society. This council of male and female elders selected rulers and decided all important judicial matters among the Yoruba. The paired figures symbolically refer to the society's membership and their communal decisions, as well as all women and men of the community, and the original founding couple.

Figure of Christ from a processional cross. C. 1200 AD. Limoges, France. Copper, enamel and glass. The State Hermitage Museum. Russia.

Ancient egyptian figures of the god (Osiris)

Mask representing a god, Aztec/Mixtec, Mexico, early 16th century.

Standing Boy 12th-14th century() Indonesia (Java). Standing Boy 39072

Puppet (Wayang Klitik) ofBaladewa

Painted wooden coffin of Denytenamun, Incense-Bearer of the temple of Amun. Early 22nd Dynasty, about 945-850 BC from Thebes. The decoration of the lid includes many allusions to rebirth through the agency of the sun god.

Shabti of the Scribe Huy wearing a Bat-pendant ca. 1295-1185 B.C. New Kingdom, Ramesside Shabtis were small magical figures deposited in a tomb to answer for the deceased should he or she be called upon to do labor in the afterlife. This figure depicts Huy as he was in life: clothed in a fashionable pleated tunic and wraparound shawl and wearing an amulet associated with the goddess Hathor around his neck. His wig is of a type that seems to have been popular with both scribes and military personnel during the late 18th dynasty.. Shabti of the Scribe Huy wearing a Bat-pendant. ca. 1295-1185 B.C.. Limestone. New Kingdom, Ramesside. From Egypt. Dynasty 19

Puppet (Wayang Klitik) probably of RamaWijaya

Nativity figure, king

Korwars or ancestral figures. These appear accross Papua New Guinea and are used to recall the memories of the dead. They sometimes include a human skull as a key element.early 20th century

Demonic Head 9th century Thailand. Demonic Head 38445

Head of Beadered Man 4th-7th century Coptic. Head of Beadered Man 478460

Alabaster and gold leaf canopic jar with human head, symbol of genius Imset, protector of liver, son of Horus from Tanis, tomb of Psusennes I, crypt

Kiiappaat mask from the Ammassalik district in the eastern coast of Greenland.

Carved wooden mask with animals , Masks, Tlingit Indians, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Tlingit Face Mask, Pacific Northwest Coast Indian. Artist: Unknown.

Urn in the Shape of Pitao Cozobi, God ofMaize. Artist: Unknown

Divination tray, mid 20th century, 9 x 10 1/2 x 10 in. (22.9 x 26.7 x 25.4 cm), Wood, Nigeria, 20th century, Who doesnt need help now and then deciding which way to go in life' The Yoruba people developed a complex system of divination (foretelling), called ifa, which relies on an extensive and constantly growing body of chanted texts. To determine which of the hundreds of verses are relevant to the case at hand, the diviner performs ifa using several instruments: a tapper to summon Orunmila, the divinity of wisdom, knowledge, and divination; a carved tray to be covered with a layer of dust in which signs are drawn; and, most importantly, a set of 16 sacred palm nuts (not shown here) used by the diviner to obtain numbers marked on the tray. Combinations of these numbers lead the diviner to a particular set of verses.

Totem Pole Model 1820-40 Tlingit. Totem Pole Model 319073

Shadow puppet. Bali, Indonesia.

Dedicatory Statues of Kings or Priests, showing the influence of an Egyptian style. Stephen Thompson (British, about 1830 - 1893)

Asian Civlisations Museum. Archangel Michael vanquishing Satan. Vietnam. 19th century. Singapore.

Buddha Offering Protection. Culture: Sri Lanka, Kandy district. Dimensions: H. 11 13/16 in. (30 cm); W. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm). Date: 18th century.The Buddha raises his right hand in abhaya mudra, extending compassionate protection to devotees. Ivory was a favored material for Buddhist imagery in Sri Lanka. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Figure of Buddhist Divinity. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 2 3/4 in. ( 7 cm). Date: 18th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Virgin and Child, Notre_Dame du Torrent de Vie Monastery, Thoronet, Var, Provence, France, Europe

Head of a Luohan, 14th-15th century, 10 3/4 × 6 1/2 × 7 in. (27.31 × 16.51 × 17.78 cm) (aprox., without base), Wood, lacquer, pigments, glass or stone, China, 14th-15th century, This serene-looking Luohan, or a disciple of the Buddha, is an example of the uniqueness and individuality that artists of the late Yuan (1271-1368) or early Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties were capable of conveying in their work. Eccentric and reclusive in lifestyle, Luohans signify the meditative, nonmaterial values of Buddhism. Despite being regarded as saintly, enlightened men, they were usually portrayed as humanlike rather than as supernatural entities; we see this in the expressive, dignified appearance of this youthful Luohan.

Buddha statue in world heritage site, sacred city of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka Copyright: xAnilxDave/DinodiaxPhotox

Holy bishop, gilded and polychrome wood carving, 12th century, Huesca Diocesan Museum, Aragon community, Spain.

A Rishi or Hindu Sage 1200. This forest-dwelling ascetic gazes in serene contemplation.

Statue of a tribal man in Rock Garden, Chandigarh, India. Statue of a tribal man in Rock Garden, Chandigarh, India. Copyright: xZoonar.com/RealityImagesx 22015556

Standing Buddha in the attitude of calming the ocean. Wooden sculpture.. Phnom Penh; Cambodia.

Carvings displayed in Agats Museum showcase cultural heritage of Asmat people in South Papua, Indonesia

Gitxsan totem pole, Ksan Historic Village, British Columbia, Canada

Buddha laughs. Buddha

Laos, Vientiane, Haw Pha Kaew Buddhist Temple, Museum

Seated Figure Censer (Incensario) 5th-6th century Maya Censers, or incensarios, have been discovered in a wide range of contexts, from the steps of temples to cave interiors, indicative of the importance of burning rituals in ancient Mesoamerica. It is thought that billowing clouds of smoke, produced by the burning of copal incense, accompanied every major ceremony in the Maya realm. Depicted on the censer illustrated here is a seated figure, perhaps a ruler, surrounded by aspects of mythological creatures that are stacked about his head and symmetrically flank his sides. The central figure is in higher relief, sitting cross-legged with arms carefully positioned in front of his chest. The position of the hands, held inward and touching, is known from sculpted stone monuments, where it carries connotations of rulership. A human head or masklike element is depicted in the figure's lap. The figure may represent a generalized concept of revered ancestor.. Seated Figure Censer (Incensario)

Hip Ornament: Face 16th-19th century Edo peoples At its origins, the centralized city-state of Benin was founded by Edo-speaking peoples. The accounts by official court historians and descriptions provided by visitors evoke a vibrant cultural center continually redefined by its leadership through shifting internal and external power dynamics. According to oral tradition, circa 1300, Edo chiefs are reputed to have reached out to the leader of neighboring Ife, Oranmiyan, to establish a new divinely sanctioned royal dynasty. Since then, the investiture of Benins rulers to the title of obas has conferred upon them at once a role of chief priest officiating in important religious ceremonies and presiding over an elaborate structure of palace officials. During the fifteenth century reign of Oba Ewuare, Benins armies were formed and the fortification of its capital with a massive wall undertaken. In parallel, delegations of Portuguese traders assiduously sought to secure exclusive commercia

Replica of one of the gilded wooden guardian statues from King Tutankhamen's burial chamber. Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty (ruled c. 13321323 BC), during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom

Teoyamiqui, goddess of death, deity, Mayan statue, from front, decorations, historical illustration from 1897, Mexico City, Mexico, Central America

Mayan fleshless head or skull, representing the god of death. From Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico 600-900 AD

Gold amulet showing the head of the Egyptian god Osiris 715-332 BC

Maria throne with children - "Sedes sapientiae"; approx. 1200 (1150-00-00-1225-00-00);Maria throne with the Child (iconogr.), Sedes Sapientiae (iconogr.), Cistercian monastery (Ołobok), Medieval art

INDONESIA, JAVA, SHADOW PUPPETS

Gope From Papua New Guinea

CRISTO MAJESTAD-PROCEDE DE ORGAÑA-LERIDA-SIGLO XIII. Location: MUSEU NACIONAL D'ART CATALUNYA. Barcelona. SPANIEN.

Mask from the Chambri (previously spelled Tchambuli) are an ethnic group in the Chambri Lakes region in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea

Blessing Christ child ,, 1525 - 1575 Italy marble (rock) Italy marble (rock)

Masks from the Arctic used to reveal inner truth of the wearer, used by Shamans. Dated 19th Century

Buffalo Mask from Pendle culture of Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). Early 20th Century. Wood and raffia. Used at boys initiation ceremonies. Red shows the seniority of age over youth

Closeup of head of Tutankhamun as a child emerging from a lotus flower. Artist: Unknown

Head of a Bodhisattva 7th-8th century India (Bihar, Nalanda). Head of a Bodhisattva 38412

Thailand / China: Yao shaman's mask from northern Thailand. The Yao nationality (its great majority branch is also known as Mien) is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south. They also form one of the 54 ethnic groups officially recognized by Vietnam. In the last census, they numbered 2,637,421 in China, and roughly 470,000 in Vietnam. In Thailand they number 40,000 and in Laos 20,000.

Tribal art, totem pole, Juneau Museum, Alaska, USA, 2011.

Shabti of Ramesses VI ca. 1143-1136 B.C. New Kingdom, Ramesside This shabti was made for the pharaoh Ramesses VI. Shabtis were often inscribed with a spell (also known as chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead) that exhorts them to substitute themselves if the owner is asked to perform menial labor such as till the fields, irrigate the land or transport sand from east to west. To this end, even royal shabtis are often depicted clutching a pick and a hoe, and with a basket hanging over one or both shoulders. In this example, the king holds hoes in both hands, but there is no basket on the back.The king wears a nemes headcloth with the dual emblem of a cobra (uraeus) and a vulture whose head is now lost, but a narrow rounded neck is still noticeably different from the cobra to its left. The vulture beside the cobra on the kings head is a New Kingdom phenomenon, the most well-known example of which appears on Tutankhamun's golden mask.The cartouches appear to have been altered in antiquity fr

Mikazuki (male deity) Noh mask 1701-1800 Japan. Mikazuki masks were used by actors portraying vengeful spirits in need of appeasement. The masksí characteristic features include an ocher complexion, a wide mustache, and eyes fashioned with gilded brass rings, with the whites painted red. The wide eyes and bared teeth give the mask a frightening expression, and the glint of light off the eyes during a performance must have added to its terror.. Japanese cypress, colors, and brass .

Egyptian Shabti figure. Artist: Unknown

Stone figurines of Cihuacoatl, Aztec Goddess of fertility, from Mexico. Dated 1400 BC

Deity Head 13th-15th century Eastern Nahua. Deity Head 312590

Wood statue of old man Isolated wood statue of an old japanese man Copyright: xZoonar.com/YannxPoirierx 12344278

Egyptian Ushabti or Ushabti. The Ushabti also called Ushabti or shawabti, was an Ancient Egyptian funerary figurine

Standing figures of Jain Tirthankaras. In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a human being who helps in achieving liberation and enlightenment as an Arihant by destroying their soul-constraining karmas, became a role model and leader for those seeking spiritual guidance. Tirthankaras revitalize Jain Society by organisation of fourfold Jain order consisting of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. Not all souls become Tirthankaras.

Ganesh ganpati Elephant head Lord in metal, calcutta, west bengal, india Copyright: xJagannathxRaul/DinodiaxPhotox

Shadow play (Chinese: 影戏, pí yĭng xì) or shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes. Shadow puppetry originated during the Han Dynasty when one of the concubines of Emperor Wu of Han died from an illness. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life. Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show troupes in the city

detail of a wooden carved statue of an Indonesian garuda. The Garuda is a large mythical bird; bird-like creature; or humanoid bird that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Garuda is the mount (vahana) of the Lord Vishnu. Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila. The Brahminy kite and Phoenix are considered to be the contemporary representations of Garuda

Bodhisattva in Contemplation, gold painted stone, Northern Qi Dynasty (A.D.550-577), collection of Qingzhou Museum, displayed at Shanghai Museum, China

USA, Arizona, Sedona. Close-up of Indian carving.

Group of ivory figures from the Kandyan royal family from Sri Lanka.

Gilded wooden statue of the Ka of King Tutankhamun from the tomb of the king. 1326 BC

Ndoli jowei in full length costume of black-dyed raffia. Wooden Sowei Mask with replacement raffia fringe, Sierra Leone, West Africa, 19th Century

Guardian goddess protecting the gilded case housing the canopic shrine and jars, of King Tutankhamen. 18th Dynasty, Egyptian tomb treasure. 1323 BC

Maori flute (koauau), New Zealand. Artist: Unknown

Nepal: A bronze statue of Hanuman, the Monkey King, Hindu god and devotee of Rama, eating a chapati (flat bread) at the Rudra Varna Mahavihar temple, Patan, Kathmandu Valley (1998)

Baby Jesus in the arms of Mother of God of Ger, 12th century, polychrome tempera wood carving and stucco reliefs, Church of Santa Coloma De Ger, MNAC, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Polychrome ceremonial mask , Masks, Kuba African people, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Tichnor Brothers Collection, postcards of the United States

Ass-headed demons from a temple in Thailand. Artist: Unknown

Fox Disguised as a Priest. Morikawa Toen (Japan, 1820-1894). Japan, mid- to late 19th century. Costumes; Accessories. Wood with pigments

Christ Resurrected - Detail , Subirachs, Jose M., Cement

Gilded wood and bronze shabtis with Lower Egypt red crown, scepter and scourge, from Treasure of Tutankhamen

Seated Mahavira; Karnataka; India. Mahavira (The Great Hero) was the founder of the modern Jainism. He lived in the 6th century BC and is shown nude.

NetSuke maska Teatru Kyogen Buaku (Demon)

Monk-Scribe Astride a Wyvern mid-12th century North German. Monk-Scribe Astride a Wyvern 466102

Rukmani-Krishna, Sathyabama bronze Sculptures- 16th Century

Altar für die Anbetung der Hand Altar for the worship of the hand, Ikegobo, ancient Benin Kingdom, Edo people, Nigeria, 19th century, carved wood, MEB, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain LicenseRF Copyright: xZoonar.com/Tolox 23171502

Kraków National Museum Frasure Christ, wood sculpture (I 589) unknown

USA, Alaska, Wrangell, Chief Shakes Tribal House, Chief Kadashan Totems

Guardian figures carved in the hardest of wood, found at the junctions of footpaths leading to villages for protection from evil spirits, Sarawak, Bor...

A Sidda (brass 20th Century). A Sidda is a Jain who achieves salvation and no longer has a human physical body. India

Painted wooden statue of Osiris 20th Dynasty, about 1170 BC From Thebes, Egypt. depicts the god wearing characteristic feathered crown and grasping the royal crook and flail sceptres. The green colouring of the skin reflects the god's associations with vegetation as a metaphor for rebirth.

The pensive Christ. unknown, sculptor

Cornelius Chapel, reliquary bust of St Cornelius, 14th century, St, Saint, Saint

Side-Blown Trumpet (Oko) 19th century Edo peoples At its origins, the centralized city-state of Benin was founded by Edo-speaking peoples. The accounts by official court historians and descriptions provided by visitors evoke a vibrant cultural center continually redefined by its leadership through shifting internal and external power dynamics. According to oral tradition, circa 1300, Edo chiefs are reputed to have reached out to the leader of neighboring Ife, Oranmiyan, to establish a new divinely sanctioned royal dynasty. Since then, the investiture of Benins rulers to the title of obas has conferred upon them at once a role of chief priest officiating in important religious ceremonies and presiding over an elaborate structure of palace officials. During the fifteenth century reign of Oba Ewuare, Benins armies were formed and the fortification of its capital with a massive wall undertaken. In parallel, delegations of Portuguese traders assiduously sought to secure exclusive commerci

Statue at Bodhisattva Shrine, Sacred Quadrangle, Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, Asia

Medicine Vessel: Two Figures 18th-19th century Edo peoples At its origins, the centralized city-state of Benin was founded by Edo-speaking peoples. The accounts by official court historians and descriptions provided by visitors evoke a vibrant cultural center continually redefined by its leadership through shifting internal and external power dynamics. According to oral tradition, circa 1300, Edo chiefs are reputed to have reached out to the leader of neighboring Ife, Oranmiyan, to establish a new divinely sanctioned royal dynasty. Since then, the investiture of Benins rulers to the title of obas has conferred upon them at once a role of chief priest officiating in important religious ceremonies and presiding over an elaborate structure of palace officials. During the fifteenth century reign of Oba Ewuare, Benins armies were formed and the fortification of its capital with a massive wall undertaken. In parallel, delegations of Portuguese traders assiduously sought to secure exclusive

Objects, Hawaiian idol, 'Koila Moku' God of Medicine , Idols, Gods. Frank Cousins Glass Plate Negatives Collection

100 Soverign Nattukottai Nagarathars Mangalya Called Kazhuthiru 80 Years Old, Tamil Nadu, India. The most impressive and the most sacred ornamentation worn among the Nagarathar is the kaluthooru. Worn by the bride on her wedding day, it is the tying of this around her neck by the bridegroom before the sacred fire that proclaims the couple man and wife. The kaluthooru comprises 34 gold pieces strung on two twists of 21 strings twined together with a binder and sanctified with turmeric

Hanuman, the monkey god. Chinese Ming depiction. 16th cent.

Figurine of boy with ruyi (censer). unknown, craftsman

Ostrakon 7th century Coptic. Ostrakon 474575

isolated Buddha hand, religion symbol or as an ’okay’ sign.

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