Lokapala Guardian King, one of a pair, late 7th-early 8th century, 44 9/16 x 15 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. ( x x cm), Earthenware with molded and carved décor under polychrome pigments and gold, China, 7th-8th century, These magnificent Buddhist lokapalas or guardian kings originally served as tomb guardians in an aristocratic Tang burial. Wearing elaborate headdresses and armor, and with a fierce expression on their faces, each king tramples underfoot a demon clinging desperately to a rockwork base. Their clenched hands perhaps once held weapons.

---

Size: 3080px × 5426px
Location:
Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -color, 7th-8th, 7th-early, 8th, animal, aristocratic, armor, arts, base, black, blue, breast, buddhist, burial, cai, carved, century, ceramics, china, clenched, clinging, combination, completely, decorative, demon, desperately, details, earthenware, elaborate, exotic, expression, eyebrows, face, faces, famous, featuring, fierce, figures, finely, glazed, gold, green, guardian, guardians, hands, head, headdresses, held, helmets, king, kings, late, lokapala, lokapalas, magnificent, masterful, modeled, molded, moustaches, originally, ornaments, painted, painting, pair, pigments, pink, plates, polychrome, polychromed, preceded, red, reveals, rockwork, san, sculpture, served, suits, superbly, tang, tomb, tramples, underfoot, wares, weapons, wearing, white, é