Description:

As you step foot on the fourth floor of the Rubin Museum you immediately enter an atmosphere that is religious and spiritual. If you turn to the right the first thing that is noticed is a huge display with a sculpture. This is a lacquered wooden sculpture with noticeable gold pigment on the deity and the body of the lion. It was created in China during the 16thcentury and is called Vaishravana, Guardian King of the North. This art is a representation of a popular, vital, and wealthy guardian king that is recognized in both Tibet and China and he uses the lion as a source of transportation.

Analysis:

When I just came upon this artwork my gaze was immediately fixed on the lion, even though the deity was technically the center piece. I was caught up in the lion’s eyes; to me they seemed ferocious, powerful, and brutal even though the lion itself was relaxed. Gradually, my gaze shifted to the thick swirled brows that portrayed anger. This swirled technique was also used on the tail and mane, adding smoothness to the sculpture. Additionally, the lion appeared to be wearing certain protective gear or armor which depicted that it is of high importance to the people of that century. It could be said that the guardian and the lion were relatively similar in size which highlighted the importance and power that the lion had. Yet, the majority of the lion’s body was not seen except for the front legs on the lower left. They appeared to be short in comparison to the size of the lion; however, they were unusually muscular for a lion. It could be stated that the structure of the legs was similar to that of a dog. Meanwhile, the head was unproportionally large. Something else unusual was that the lion’s teeth and smile resembled those of a human.  I also noticed that the deity had a belt around his waist that portrayed the head of that same lion. Overall, I believe that the deity and lion were getting prepared for an important event that required the brutal seriousness seen in their faces.