Bodhisattva Guanyin

datable to1678
Not on view
Like many Buddhist sculptures, this one originally contained, in its hollow interior, a paper dedication inscribed with the patron’s wishes. Though the bodhisattva does not take the outward form of Guanyin the Bringer of Sons, the inscription expresses the patron’s hope for a male heir: “The [Buddhist] believers Kong Xishan and his wife wholeheartedly commission the carving of this golden-bodied Guanyin in order to entreat [Guanyin] to fulfill our wishes that we may live together to old age and have a fine son soon.”

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 清康熙 檀木雕觀音像
  • Title: Bodhisattva Guanyin
  • Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
  • Date: datable to1678
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Sandalwood with lacquer and gilding, single-woodblock construction
  • Dimensions: H. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm); W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); D. 2 in. (5.1 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, 1962
  • Object Number: 62.219a, b
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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