S o u t h  W i n g

A Historical Discovery:
The Restoration of a Funerary Couch

    This marble Funerary Couch, thought to have been excavated in northern Chi na, was created approximately 1,500 years ago to be placed underneath a coffin at a funeral. As a ceremonial object, it indicates the special status of the dead in the next world. The eleven panels in the Miho Museum's collection depict scenes of a Zoroastrian funeral ceremony, a marriage ceremony, and a hunt. as well as a dance scene in a deeply carved relief that provides us with an excellent view of the spiritual life of the people of the day. Although northern China was rather unstable politically during this period, the area was invigorated by the trade that began to develop with countries to the west along the Silk Road, making it a popular place to visit for people such as foreign envoys, merchants, and Buddhist priests.
    The images can also be thought of as something like genre paintings depict ing the exchange between the East and West. Like a time machine, they seem to transport us back to that period in northern China. At the time the Miho Museum acquired these panels, it was unclear whether they were sections of a coffin stand or parts of a pair of gateposts, nor was it known how they were assembled. Finally, as the result of a long period of study and analysis by Dr.Pieter Meyers, head of the conservation center at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and his staff, the way in which these panels were joined to form a single coffin-stand screen became clear. Dr. Meyers and his staff also beautifully restored the illustrations on the upper part of this work. The success of this project was largely due to meticulous examinations of the shapes of the iron fittings on the reverse of the panels, the measurement of their positions, the condition of the stone area that had once been fitted together, and a careful inspection of the coloring. After this had been determined, the team went forward with further surveys of the panels, making it possible for the panels to be exhibited at Miho Museum's Autumn Exhibition in a manner that more closely approximates the original form.



A scene of funeral rite
    In the center of the upper part, a Zoroastrian priest stands before a fire altar wearing the white veil. To his side is a dog. In this rite, the dog is made to look at the body of the deceased, since its gaze to drive away the sprit of defilement.

 

Funerary Couch
China, Northern Dynasties - Sui Dynasties     Second half of 6th-early 7th Century A. D.
        [September 1 through December 15]

 

Statuette of Wepay
Egypt, probably from Asyut, Dynasty 12, 19th century BC

    The ancient Egyptians carved the human form in a beautifully youthful way as a host for the ka or "spirit" of the deceased. This example of a ka statuette, with its gentle facial expression, gives one the impression of the great and benevolent power of life that seems to come from the heart of this figure.
        [September 1 through December 15]


Relief of the Dipamkara
Afghanistan, 3rd-4th century AD

    Sumati, a young disciple of Baramon in a past life, prostrates himself on the ground and spreads his hair for Dipamkara to walk over so as not to get his feet soiled by dirty water. He was imparted with a prophecy that he would become enlightened in the future. This relief depicts Shyakamuni's life in the past world.
        [September 1 through December 15]


Torque (Pectoral) with a Pendant
Iran, Achaemenid period, mid-6th-4th century BC

    An international style in the art of luxury objects prevailed in the Archa emenid Empire. With the lavish use of gold and inlays of colorful stone and glass employed in creating this torque, the piece can be considered an excellent example of the flowering of the jeweler's art during this period.
        [September 1 through December 15]


Female Figure
East Mediterranean,
about mid-2nd millennium BC

    The woman portrayed in this work, with body turned up and hands held high, is worshipping a manifestation of a god in the air. This figure closely resembles the sensual, vivacious female figures depicted on the mural paintings that decorated a contem-porary palace in Crete.
        [November 3 through December 15]


Set of Mat Weights
China,
early Han dynasty,
2nd century BC

   On each of these pieces, a feisty tiger betters a prone bear. Despite the fact that these objects had a practical function, to anchor the corners of a woven mat, there is something remarkable in both the realistic portrayals of the scenes and their ornamentation.
       [September 1 through December 15]