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Head of a Man
Japan, Kofun Period (ca. A.D. 250ca. 600)
Terra cotta. Height: 6 1/4 in. (15.24 cm)
George and Mary Rockwell Collection. 63.263
Kofun were large, mounded tombs that, seen from above, appear in the
form of a circle joined to a rectangle, suggesting the shape of the modern
keyhole. On and around the tomb mound, hundreds of clay cylinders topped
with sculpted images were inserted. The function of these clay cylinders,
or haniwa, is still debated, but generally it is believed they were
attempts to console the dead by providing a reassuring environment for their
spirits, who continued to dwell in the sacred precincts of the tomb. Hence
haniwa drew their subject matter from the familiar world of the living:
animals, houses, weapons, ritual objects, and human figures.
Although this piece is missing the rest of the body and the cylinder base,
it is nonetheless a vivid image of a haniwa head. With great boldness
and simplicity, the sculptor has conveyed the sense of a human caught in
a moment of great seriousness. Despite the roughness of the clay and the
quickness of handling, the image seems remarkably sophisticated and appealing.
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