Cultural Sculptures and Figures

Depictions of various cultural figurines representing deities, nobles, and ritualistic figures from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, each embodying artistic styles.

Mayan ceramic figure of a woman probably a noble. Jaina, Chiapas, Mexico 600-900 AD

Shiva, anonymous, 1450 Side image in the shape of Shiva. Majapahit andesite Side image in the shape of Shiva. Majapahit andesite

The Benin Empire (1440-1897) was a pre-colonial African state in what is now modern Nigeria. It is not to be confused with the modern-day country called Benin (and formerly called Dahomey).

Wooden figurine of a Cup bearer, from Cameroon, Africa. Dated 20th Century

Standing court lady 7th-8th century China This figure holds a round implement with strings or ribbons that functioned somewhat like castanets.. Standing court lady 44800

Mayan ceramic figure of a woman probably a noble. Jaina, Chiapas, Mexico 600-900 AD

Crowned Buddha ca. 13th-early 14th century Burma. Crowned Buddha 38318

FertilityGoddess

Standing Buddha, anonymous, c. 600 - c. 800 Standing Buddha, found on South Sumatra, the right hand in "Vitarka Mudra". South Sumatra bronze (metal) Standing Buddha, found on South Sumatra, the right hand in "Vitarka Mudra". South Sumatra bronze (metal)

Figure: Female 15th-19th century Dogon peoples. Figure: Female 312354

Head of a Buddha or Deity, Anonymous, 1175 - 1300 Fragment (head) of a Buddha or deity in the bayon style. On a pedestal. Khmer . Fragment (head) of a Buddha or deity in the bayon style. On a pedestal. Khmer .

Vishnu in the style of Kulen (800-850) Ssandstone sculpturefrom Cambodia

. This kind of Buddha figurine is based on Indian models and was widely distributed in Southeast Asia, from Thailand to Indonesia. With his right hand, the Buddha is making the vitarka mudra, the gesture of teaching. The halo behind his head may be a later addition.

Standing bodhisattva late 19th or early 20th century China. Standing bodhisattva 61678

Amulet - Khnum

Buddha mid-7th century Southern Cambodia Early in the seventh century a new Buddha type appeared in Southeast Asia, inspired by innovations that were taking place in northern India. The wellspring was the important monastic school at Sarnath. Its workshops undoubtedly supplied Buddha images to a great variety of clients, including pilgrim-monks who would have purchased small imagesoften, one may surmise, made of woodeasily transportable to their homelands. This Buddha, slender and ethereal, is a superb example of the early acceptance of the northern Indian model of ideal Buddhahood, seen in the increasingly detached and otherworldly expression and the use of body-defining drapery.cat. no. 49. Buddha. Southern Cambodia. mid-7th century. Sandstone. pre-Angkor period. Sculpture

Figure: Seated Female 16th-19th century Dogon peoples. Figure: Seated Female 310762

Staff Fragment: Seated Oba 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 c

Guardian of the Gate (Dvarapala). Tang dynasty Chinese 618-907 AD. Dvarapala is a door or gate guardian statue (either human or demonic) in Hinduism and Buddhism

Tonatiuh The Sun God. Aztec (left), with the Water Goddess, Chalchiuhtlicue volcanic stone carved, circa 1350-1521 Mexico

Buddha Shakyamuni. Sri Lanka, 18th century. Sculpture. Copper alloy

Okimono in the Form of a Taoist Immortal. Isshisai ( fl. ca 1840- 1890)

Seated Male Ancestor 1st-4th century Nayarit. Seated Male Ancestor 318992

Ushabti

Mexico, Chichen Itza, Statue depicting Chaac priest

Standing Avalokiteshvara 10th-11th century Indonesia (Sumatra). Standing Avalokiteshvara 39237

. This partial figure probably represents Seitaka doji (literally the youth Seitaka’), one of the attendants of Fudo Myoo, patron deity of those who follow Buddhist teachings. Seitaka aids the deity in his duties and symbolises effective action. His place is to the right of Fudo Myoo, the direction in which he is inclined, ready to offer assistance.

Seated Buddha ca. 8th century Thailand. Seated Buddha 38166

Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future 8th century Thailand (Buriram Province, Prakhon Chai). Standing Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future 39196

Rakan: A Principle Disciple of the Buddha. Yoshimura Shūzan (after) (Japan, late 18th-19th century). Japan, late 18th century. Costumes; Accessories. Cypress wood with pigments

Head of Buddha. Gupta dynasty (320-600 A.D). Sandstone carving from northern India, Mathura (city) Uttar Pradesh

The jackal-headed god Anubis, guardian of tombs.

Virgin Mary. Romanesque wood carving. Dated in the second half of the 13th century. From Cathedral of Girona. The Cathedral Museum. Girona. Catalonia, Spain.

. Figurine of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, diadem and headdress may be a Buddha figure in it. Ear rod, necklace and jewelry for upper arms.

Head of a Bodhisattva (Pusa). China, Middle Tang dynasty, about 700-800. Sculpture. Carved limestone

Head from an image of the Buddha, 11th-12th century, 9 x 3 7/8 x 4in. (22.9 x 9.8 x 10.2cm), Stucco, Myanmar (Burma), 11th-12th century, In what was formerly one of the wealthiest cities and greatest religious centers of the entire world, ancient Pagan (1044-1287 CE) in central Myanmar (Burma), over 2,000 Buddhist monuments remain scattered across the arid plain. The largely abandoned brick stupas (reliquary buildings) and temples were once lavishly decorated with multicolored stucco (plaster) molding and sculpture. Sculptors in Pagan used stucco with great skill to create many of the thousands of Buddhist images commissioned by lay followers and monasteries.

Mayan ceramic figurine of a Lord, 600-900 AD Mexican

Bodhisattva Avaolkiteshvara second half of the 7th-early 8th century Western Cambodia This four-armed Avalokiteshvara relates to a cache of small icons recovered by chance at the early eighth-century Khmer brick-and-sandstone temple Prasat Ak Yom, located on what is now an embankment of the West Baray, the eleventh-century reservoir in Angkor. This temple was likely the earliest step-pyramid temple in Khmer history. It has two doorjamb inscriptions, dated 674 and 704, respectively. During excavations in the 1930s, a set of bronzes was found secreted away in a cavity behind a lintel. This bronze is probably from the same workshop that supplied the Prasat Ak Yom temple with its images.cat. no. 132. Bodhisattva Avaolkiteshvara. Western Cambodia. second half of the 7th-early 8th century. Copper alloy. pre-Angkor period. Sculpture

Head of a Bodhisattva 7th-8th century India (Bihar, Nalanda). Head of a Bodhisattva 38414

Fermented agave sap figurine of the Aztec God of Pulque, from the Gulf of Mexico. Dated 1500 BC.

Court lady 7th-8th century China. Court lady 52553

Seated Buddha 19th century Cambodia. Seated Buddha 38885

Bodhisattva 9th-10th century China. Bodhisattva 61747

Buddha's head. Basalt. Lopburi style, 14th century. Siam (Thailand). Paris, Cernuschi museum. Asian art, basalt, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddha, Clig, flat slab, detail, man, eye, character, base, lopburi style, head, face, 14th 14th 14th 14th 14th 14 CENTUR

Aztec Cihuateoti. The Aztecs believed that the sun was accompanied on its daily passage from east to west by the spirits of warriors.

Maldives: Coral stone Buddha head found at Thoddu Island, North Ari Atoll, c. 6th-7th century CE

Plaque: Court Official with Magical Staff 16th-17th 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 sec

Seated Male Ancestor Figure (Adu SirahaSalawa)

Bodhisattva

Sculpture of Maitreya from 7th century Three Kingdoms of Korea. Made of gilt bronze. Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE - 668)

Standing Purusha ca. 6th-7th century India or Nepal. Standing Purusha 38352

Yaksha (Sanskrit: yaka, Pali: yakkha, Tamil: Yakka, Thai: yaksa, Chinese: yècha or yaocha, Korean: / yacha, Japanese: yasha, Tibetan: gnodsbyin) is the name of a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology. The feminine form of the word is yaki. The Sunga Empire or Shunga Empire was a royal Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled vast areas of the Indian Subcontinent from around 185 to 73 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pusyamitra Sunga, after the fall of the Maurya Empire. Its capital was Pataliputra, but later emperors such as Bhagabhadra also held court at Vidisha, modern Besnagar in Eastern Malwa. Pushyamitra Sunga ruled for 36 years and was succeeded by his son Agnimitra. There were ten Sunga rulers. The empire is noted for its numerous wars with both foreign and indigenous powers. They fough

Head of Bodhisattva. Second half of the 1st century or early 2nd century. Kushan dynasty (1st-3rd A.D). red sandstone sculpture from Uttar Pradesh in India (North)

An ancient terracotta statuette of a prisoner, and soon to be sacrificial victim, from the Moche culture, alternatively known as, the Mochica culture, Early Chimu, Pre-Chimu or Proto-Chimu, from the North Coast of Peru. The prisoner sits in the nude, with his hand covering his mouth epitomising his fear. Dated 8th Century

Head of Buddha 9th century() Cambodia. Head of Buddha 39274

Sandstone figure of Bodhisattva Avalokitesara (known in Chinese as Guanyin) Northern Qi dynasty, AD 550. Aalokiteshara is the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Ushabti

The god Ptah. unknown, author

Figure Fragment: Head 17th 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 commercial

Standing Bodhisattva on Tall Base 9th century Indonesia (Java). Standing Bodhisattva on Tall Base 39041

Crib with Christ child. .

Virgin and Child. Gilded copper on a wood core with champleve enamel, rock crystal and glass. French, Limoges. Made about 1200. The enameled book and the engraving of the Virgin's crown and slippers and of the Child's hair are characteristic of Limoges work.

Ndoli jowei in costume of black-dyed raffia. The masker's arms and legs are also covered so that the identity of the wearer is totally concealed. 19th Century, Sierra Leonne, west Africa

Seated Male Figure with Lance. Culture: Bamana peoples. Dimensions: H. 35 3/8 x W. 9 x D. 10 3/8in. (89.9 x 22.9 x 26.4cm). Date: 16th-19th century.Bamana figures such as this were the focal point of celebrations of the "Jo" and "Gwan" initiation societies (associations of men and women) in several villages in southern Mali. This work depicts an idealized male leader that would have been the companion to a similarly attired mother and child representation. For annual rituals, a community's collection of a series of such works were removed from shrines, cleaned and oiled, decorated with cloth and beads, and displayed in the village square as a group. The mother and child and her male counterpart were placed in central positions of honor, distinguished by attributes of their extraordinary physical and supernatural powers.This figure is depicted wearing a hunter's hat adorned with animal horns and amulets. The amulets serve to heighten his powers of perception and in doing so augment hi

Bodhisattva Lokesvara transformed into Siva. 10th century, 11th century style of Khleang (late 10th-early 11th century) Sandstone sculpture from Phnom Trop, Cambodia

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

Africa, Cameroun, tribal art, Tikar Pygmies people, house god statue

Statuette of Merer ca. 1981-1802 B.C. Middle Kingdom The four statues 10.176.57-.60 belonged to the Scribe of Divine Offerings Merer. The short kilts of these figures are covered with passages from the Coffin Texts, a collection of spells designed to assist the deceased navigate the Afterlife. The phrase inscribed on the two medium-sized figures (.58 and .60) is a typical one: "Oh Osiris Merer, come with me and I will open for you your eyes that they may lead you on the ways of darkness and that they may put fear of you into the Imperishable Ones, as did Horus for his father Osiris.". Statuette of Merer. ca. 1981-1802 B.C.. Wood, paintGesso. Middle Kingdom. From Egypt; Said to be from Middle Egypt, Meir; Probably from Asyut (Lykopolis). Dynasty 12

Anglo-Saxon stone cross-shaft fragment from the shaft of a larga, free-standing stone cross, carved with Christian imagery. The swirling vines evoke the concept of Christ as the 'True Vineí, while the archer shooting his arrow may symbolise the spread of Godís 'Divine Word'. AD 800

Standing Buddha, Anonymous, 1500 - 1700 Standing Buddha, crowned and richly decorated clothing; The hands and a part of the arms, the top of the hair, the underside of the rug and the feet have been demolished. Thailand bronze (metal) Standing Buddha, crowned and richly decorated clothing; The hands and a part of the arms, the top of the hair, the underside of the rug and the feet have been demolished. Thailand bronze (metal)

One of the Four Heavenly Kings Japan late 11th-early 12th century The Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) protect the four quarters of the universe in the four cardinal directions, warding off evil and guarding the nation. In Japan they are typically placed around the main altar of a central deity, dressed as military generals, carrying an assortment of weapons and wearing ferocious expressions as they stand triumphantly over the defeated bodies of demons (symbolizing their subjugation of Buddhisms enemies). The Burke Collection example is carved from a single block of wood (ichiboku) and wears the Chinese military armor one expects to find in representations of guardian figures from the late Heian period.

Figure of a Fertility Goddess. Unknown

Pectoral with Christ and the Lamb of God and the Symbols of the Four Evangelists 1000-1050 British or North French This imposing ivory originally formed the central part of a large cross (the arms are now missing) intended to be suspended from the neck. The strong sculptural forms and animated drapery relate closely to both Anglo-Saxon drawings and illuminated manuscripts. The pairing of Christ in Majesty with the Lamb of God on the reverse reflects contemporary interest in apocalyptic imagery, familiar from the Book of Revelation.. Pectoral with Christ and the Lamb of God and the Symbols of the Four Evangelists. British or North French. 1000-1050. Walrus ivory with gilt-copper sheets and copper alloy pin. Made in near Saint-Omer. Ivories-Walrus

Ushabti

Seated monk, 19th century AD. Created out of lacquered and gilded wood, set with coloured glass. It probably came from a large wooden shrine.

standing granite Buddha statue. AD 600 - 700; Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

DET SARCOFAGO DEL SACERDOTE DE AMON REUTILIZADO-XXI DINASTIA. Location: MUSEO ARQUEOLOGICO NACIONAL-COLECCION. MADRID. SPAIN.

Mayan god statue from Mexico isolated on white background

Commemorative Shrine Figure(Hampatong)

Iran / Persia: Head of male Seljuq royal figure with a beaded headdress. Limestone sculpture, 12th-13th century. The Great Seljuq Empire, founded in 1037, was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian, Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. From their homelands near the Aral sea, the Seljuqs advanced first into Khorasan and then into mainland Persia before eventually conquering eastern Anatolia.

Plaque with Buddhist Triad. Culture: China. Dimensions: H. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm). Date: 7th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Kneeling Female Figure 2nd-4th century Nayarit (Chinesco) Paired sculptures depicting male and female figures frequently occur among the burial goods of the shaft tombs in western Mexico. Built beneath house platforms, these tombs served as family mausoleums and were periodically opened to inter the recently deceased. These two ceramic figures are fine representations of the Nayarit style known as Chinesco, notable for smooth burnished surfaces and painted ornament. These contrast with the heavy three-dimensional costumes and jewelry worn by figures in another local style, the Ixtlán del Río style. This coupleor "marriage pair," as figures like these have been designatedmay represent ancestors who help to prolong the family line through their guidance and fertility. Fertility imagery often appears in the mortuary offerings of Mesoamerican peoples and is undoubtedly related to concepts of death and the afterlife.. Kneeling Female Figure 318283

'Standing Buddha'. Siam (now Thailand).Lanna art (Extreme North area), 16th century. Dimensions: h. 64,5 cm. Museum: State Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

Malay Looking toward Heaven. Japan, 18th century. Costumes; Accessories. Wood

King Meli-Shipak kudurru (boundary stone) recording gift of lands to son Marduk-apla-iddina, with symbols of Babylonian deities, From Shush, (ancient Susa), Iran

Head of a Male Deity (Deva) 901 CE-1100 Cambodia. Sandstone .

Image, small statuette of Mary, crowned with the child in the arms standing above a half moon. Image, small statuette of Mary, crowned with the child in the arms standing above a half moon. Baked pipe earth with traces of polychromy. Very violated.

Civil official 6th century China. Civil official 62850

Stele commissioned by Li Zhewang (真王), Yao Langzi (姚郎字), and other members of a devotional society dated 528 (1st year of Jianyi reign) China Steles of this type were common in the early sixth century. The dedicatory inscription on the base dates the work to the sixth month of the year 528 and indicates that it was commissioned by a group of seventy individuals on behalf of the emperor, the country, and various ancestors. As was customary, symbolic portraits of these patrons, arranged hierarchically, can be seen on the front, sides, and back of the stele. The two most important individuals are depicted inside small pavilions at top, and other major figures are shown just above the inscription, accompanied by attendants. The grouping of a central Buddha with two bodhisattvas and two monks is typical of the period, as are the two lions and two guardians.A brief interpolation between the main text and the date in the inscription states that a certain individual performed a meritorious ac

Mayan God of Rain worshiped by the Mayans along the Gulf of Mexico 300-900 AD. Baked clay

TUMI DE ORO Y TURQUESAS-REPRESENTAC DIOS NAY-LASP-ESTILO CHIMU-M.390mmDM.200mm. Location: MUSEO DEL ORO COL MUJICA. Lima. NAY-LASP DIOS PERU. PERU DIOS DEL.

The Hindu God Shiva

Enthroned Virgin with the Child; Sedes Sapientiae seat of wisdom. unknown, sculptor

Three Buddhist Statuettes, anonymous, 600 - 800 Standing Buddha, origin unknown, but with Mak 1232 and 1234 together found in Zuidwest-Sulawesi, distr. Bontonompo, Bonthain department. Dvaravati style. Indonesia bronze (metal) Standing Buddha, origin unknown, but with Mak 1232 and 1234 together found in Zuidwest-Sulawesi, distr. Bontonompo, Bonthain department. Dvaravati style. Indonesia bronze (metal)

Cristo Crucificado. Cobre campeado, grabado dorado y esmaltado en fundición. 22,2x14,7. Segunda mitad del siglo XIII. Limoges, Francia.

Head of a Clay Figure (Dogū) Japan The Katsusaka style, exemplified by this head which was once attached to a larger figure, represents a transitional point in the development of dogū, when the flattened shapes of the Early Jōmon period dogū were being modified with limbs and coming closer in shape to the famous standing dogū of the Middle and Late Jōmon. The vast majority of dogū are not found intact, most having their heads or limbs removed or bodies broken, as in the case of this object, which was probably attached to a larger figure in the past. It is unknown exactly why dogū were broken before being discarded, but some theories contend that the dogū represented a kind of earth mother” figure, and that breaking the dogū propagated the spirit of the earth mother” in order to bring fertility to the land.. Head of a Clay Figure (Dogū) 45530

The God Danda and the Goddess Niksubha (Attendants of Surya, the Sun God) 11th century India. The God Danda and the Goddess Niksubha (Attendants of Surya, the Sun God) 38420

Buddha Shakyamuni. India, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura, 3rd-4th century. Sculpture. Mottled red sandstone

Woman carrying an offering, 11th-12th Dyn. 2000 BC, Egypt.

Old mythical wooden figure painted in gold on the island of Bali, Indonesia. Close up

Die Nahaufnahme einer Buddha-Statue Die Nahaufnahme einer Buddha-Statue. / A close up of a buddha statue. Copyright: xZoonar.com/KirstenxWarnerx 21889882

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