Heian. <em>Jizo Bosatsu (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva)</em>, late 10th–early 11th century. Wood, Other (sculpture without base): 49 x 15 x 9 1/4 in. (124.5 x 38.1 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Roger Stoll, 78.43. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.43_bw.jpg)

Heian. Jizo Bosatsu (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva), late 10th–early 11th century. Wood, Other (sculpture without base): 49 x 15 x 9 1/4 in. (124.5 x 38.1 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Roger Stoll, 78.43. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.43_bw.jpg)

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Why is this sculpture missing its hands?

That Bodhisattva is actually made of wood, which tends to break more easily than the sculptures made of bronze/stone so the hands were the most vulnerable/protruding pieces of that sculpture and were the most likely section to break. In this case, the hands were carved separately, then attached by pins.

This sculpture is very very old (from the 10th-11th century), so with time, wear, and potential accidents, the hands are now missing, but it is amazing that the facial features and those beautiful fabric folds have survived.

Why is it missing its hands?

These wood sculptures were carved from a single tree trunk, but the elements that stuck out beyond the basic cylinder of the trunk, most notably the hands, were carved separately and pinned in. The hands are almost always the first thing to be lost, both because they’re separate and because they stick out.

Why are these two paired up?

They're paired to point out the cross-cultural dialogue that's taking place. For example, notice the woman's wardrobe in William Merritt Chase's painting. She's wearing a Japanese kimono, showing the late 19th century American interest in Asian arts and culture after trade was reestablished between the Western world and Japan for the first time in more than two hundred years."

Jizo Bosatsu (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva)

Asian Art

CULTURE Heian

MEDIUM Wood

Place Made: Japan

DATES late 10th–early 11th century

PERIOD Heian Period

DIMENSIONS Other (sculpture without base): 49 x 15 x 9 1/4 in. (124.5 x 38.1 x 23.5 cm) overall: 57 x 15 in. (144.8 x 38.1 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Asian Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 78.43

CREDIT LINE Gift of Dr. Roger Stoll

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Heian. Jizo Bosatsu (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva), late 10th–early 11th century. Wood, Other (sculpture without base): 49 x 15 x 9 1/4 in. (124.5 x 38.1 x 23.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. Roger Stoll, 78.43. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 78.43_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 78.43_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Why is this sculpture missing its hands?

Why is it missing its hands?

Why are these two paired up?