The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara)

Japan

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 224

Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, is one of the most popular and frequently depicted deities in Japanese Buddhism. Kannon grants deliverance from suffering to anyone who calls upon him. Here, he is shown in flowing robes draped with sashes. The sculpture’s surface was originally decorated with layers of lacquer, pigments, and likely gold leaf. Today, its cypress core is completely visible.

The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), Cypress wood; single-block construction (ichiboku-zukuri), Japan

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The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), Cypress wood; single-block construction (ichiboku-zukuri), Japan
The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), Cypress wood; single-block construction (ichiboku-zukuri), Japan
The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), Cypress wood; single-block construction (ichiboku-zukuri), Japan
The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), Cypress wood; single-block construction (ichiboku-zukuri), Japan

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