- Provenance
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To 1911
Unidentified owner, Honan-fu, China, to 1911 [1]From 1911 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from an unidentified owner at Honan-fu in 1911 [2]From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:
[1] See Original Pottery List, L. 2101, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
- Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)
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Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
- Description
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Buddhist plaque: rectangular, with a pointed top.
Blackened by fire.
Clay: soft, dense, gray.
Unglazed.
Decoration: modeled in low relief on the face. Twelve characters within squares in relief on the back.
One of a pair with F1911.330.
- Label
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The inscription on this Buddhist plaque identifies it s a special type of votive object that is said to have the ashes of cremated monks mixed into the clay. Such plaques were believed to help repel evil and attract auspiciousness; the text refers to achieving a blissful state known as "Paradise body." Many similar plaques have been excavated from temples dating to the Tang dynasty (618-907), where they may have been used to line the walls or serve as devotional objects.
- Collection Area(s)
- Chinese Art
- Web Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- SI Usage Statement
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Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
Usage Conditions Apply
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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International Image Interoperability Framework
FS-8004_19