asian art

Shinto deity

One of the oldest and largest Shinto sculptures outside of Japan, this male deity is carved from a single tree trunk and preserves the tree’s original girth without attachments or joinery.

The figure is seated in a formal position and dressed in court attire with a hat with long lappets. He holds a flat scepter, a symbol of high status.

Shinto art is sometimes called an “invisible art” because its images and sacred objects were intentionally concealed in shrines, where they were worshiped unseen by devotees.

Pre-Columbian Art