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Bodhisattva Guanyin

datable to 1624
Not on view
Downcast eyes and clasped hands impart a serene quality to this intimately scaled Guanyin. A dated inscription on silk found in the sculpture’s interior reveals that it was commissioned in 1624 by a devotee named Wang Shichun and his wife, surnamed Li. Like many in premodern China, they turned to Guanyin for help; this sculpture allowed them to venerate the bodhisattva daily, in their home.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 明天啟 檀木雕觀音菩薩像
  • Title: Bodhisattva Guanyin
  • Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
  • Date: datable to 1624
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Sandalwood with lacquer
  • Dimensions: H. 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm); W. 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); D. 4 in. (10.2 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.40a–e
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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Bodhisattva Guanyin, Sandalwood with lacquer and gilding, single-woodblock construction, China
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datable to1678
Pipa (琵琶 ), Wood, ivory, bone, silk, Chinese
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Standing Avalokiteshvara , Sandalwood, traces of polychrome and gold, Nepal (Kathmandu Valley)

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Bo gu tu
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