Lantern (Ishi-doro)
Asian Art
The stone lantern, or ishi-doro, was originally intended for a religious shrine. The most magnificent example of lanterns in such a setting is the group of two thousand ishi-doro lining the approaches to the Kasuga Shrine in Nara. Made of granite from Sado Island in the Japan Sea, such lanterns ultimately derive from an Indian temple form, which helps explain the combination of Buddhist and indigenous Japanese Shinto motifs. The octagonal pagoda shape is here made in six sections, with a lotus-form base and finial and a central component with two openings suggesting the sun and the moon. A lamp or a candle is placed in the hollowed-out opening. The secular use of stone lanterns as garden ornaments dates from the Momoyama Period (1568–1600). Aged appearance, such as weathered or mossy stone, is highly admired as sabi, one of the Japanese traditional aesthetic values, which reflects resignation, loneliness, and tranquillity.
MEDIUM
Granite
DATES
18th century
PERIOD
Edo Period
DIMENSIONS
overall: 2809 lb. (1274.15kg)
component (a - base): 16 × 26 × 28 in. (40.6 × 66 × 71.1 cm)
component (b - column): 28 1/2 × 52 in. (72.4 × 132.1 cm)
component (c - hexagonal spacer): 9 1/2 × 26 1/2 × 26 in. (24.1 × 67.3 × 66 cm)
component (d - light box): 16 × 19 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. (40.6 × 49.5 × 44.5 cm)
component (e - roof): 16 × 41 × 41 in. (
(show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER
77.139a-f
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Josephine Vallin Rosenberg in memory of Louis Rosenberg
PROVENANCE
Prior to 1977, provenance not yet documented; by 1977, acquired by Josephine Vallin Rosenberg of New York, NY; October 12, 1977, gift of Josephine Vallin Rosenberg to the Brooklyn Museum.
Provenance FAQ
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Lantern (Ishi-doro), 18th century. Granite, overall: 2809 lb. (1274.15kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Josephine Vallin Rosenberg in memory of Louis Rosenberg, 77.139a-f. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 77.139a-f_installation_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 77.139a-f_installation_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
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