Japanese Works of Art - 13th November 2025
Lot 867
AN IMPRESSIVE PAIR OF JAPANESE COLD-PAINTED BRONZE FIGURES
Estimate £5,000 - £8,000
Inc. Buyers Premium
Description
AN IMPRESSIVE PAIR OF JAPANESE COLD-PAINTED BRONZE FIGURES
EDO PERIOD, 18TH/19TH CENTURY
Both ferocious-looking Heavenly Gods wearing elaborate armours and standing on rocky outcrops, one cast as Tamonten (Vaisravana), the Guardian of the North, typically holding a stupa or lantern; the other Zōchōten (Virudhaka), Guardian of the South, holding a polearm and with a hand on his hip; each with details painted in red, green and ochre, their faces with remnants of gilding, 61cm and 67cm respectively. (2)
Provenance: from an English private collection, London.
Tamonten's stupa or lantern represents the propagation of Buddhist teachings, and Zōchōten is usually associated with growth and prosperity.