Accession Number
1999/2.14

Title
Celestial Musician (Japanese, Hiten; Sanskrit, Apsara)

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 670-700

Medium & Support
polychromed camphor wood on lacquered wood base

Dimensions
14 15/16 in. x 7 1/16 in. x 5 11/16 in. ( 38 cm x 18 cm x 14.5 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of John J. Schloss

Label copy
Celestial Musician
Japan
Asuka period (538–710)
ca. 670–700
Polychromed camphor wood on
lacquered wood base
Gift of John J. Schloss, 1999/2.14
This kneeling musician was part of a set of forty-
eight figures installed in the Golden Hall at

Ho ̄ryu ̄-ji, one of the most prominent Buddhist
temples in the Asuka (538–710) and Nara (710–794)
periods. These musicians are hiten, low-ranking
divine figures who were attendants to the
Buddhas. The sculptures were installed on the
canopies that hung over the primary Buddhist
icons enshrined in the hall. This figure holds a
pair of cymbal-like instruments, while others
in the set held flutes or stringed instruments.
Based on other surviving celestial musician
sculptures from Ho ̄ryu ̄-ji, we assume it would
have had a delicately carved wooden body halo
with a lattice-like pattern representing lotus
stalks and blossoms. Its fragile lotus pedestal
is comprised of individually carved petals. The
lacquered double lotus base was added much
later, after the figure was removed from its
original location.

Subject matter
This musician statue was once part of a set that adorned the interior of the Golden Hall (Kondô) of Hôryûji Temple. It holds a cymbal-like instrument. The lotus flowers indicate that the figure is a Buddhist diety.

Physical Description
The figure is kneeling musician on lotus seat, made of separately carved petals. Below the seat, there is a base, which consists of two lotus-shaped half-sphere, connected up-side-down. The head has two buns, elongated ears, simplified facial parts; the figure wears a pink robe with wide sleeves, holding a sort of instrument with hands.

Primary Object Classification
Wood and Woodcarving

Primary Object Type
figure

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
Buddhism
lotus (motif)
music (performing arts)
musicians