Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
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Terms of Use
Creative CommonsAt A Glance
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Period
453 -
Geography
Quyang, Hebei province, China -
Material
Bronze with gilding -
Dimension
H x W x D: 23 x 11.9 x 6.8 cm (9 1/16 x 4 11/16 x 2 11/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1909.266 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1909.266
Object Details
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Description
Standing Bodhisattva Lotus holder Guanyin in relief against a flaming "mandorla;" inscription of 32 characters incised on four-legged base.Bronze gilded and much worn. -
Inscriptions
(H.C. Lovell, 1974) The inscription reads: "Ta Wei Hsing-an erh-nien sui tsai kuei-ssu Chu-lu hsia Ch'u-yang ch'ing-hsin-nu Chao Lu-yuan wai mang tsu-fu mu ching tsao Kuan-Shih yin hsian" [Chn]It can be rendered: "In the second year of Hsing-an of the Great Wei Dynasty [A.D. 453], cycle "kuei-ssu," Buddhist Chao Lu-yuan (woman) of Ch'u-yang, in the proximity of Chu-lu, respectfully had this image of Kuan-yin made for her deceased grandparents."(See Curatorial Remark number 6)The inscription reads: [Chn]"Dai Wei Xingan ernian sui zai guisi Julu xia Quyang qingxin nu Zhao Luyuan wei wang zufumu jing zao Guanshiyin xiang" which can be translated: "Great Wei Dynasty, Xingan era second year (453 A.D.), year cycle guisi, the female believer Zhao Luyuan of Quyang, near Julu (present day Hebei), for the sake of her deceased grandparents respectfully had this image of Guanshiyin made."(See Curatorial Remark number 8)方座的右侧刻有铭文题记曰: transcription by Chang Qing大魏太和…/年/岁/在/癸巳…鹿方座背部续刻铭文题记曰:方座背部续刻铭文题记曰: -
Provenance
To 1909Meh Tuh Kee, Shanghai, to 1909 [1]From 1909 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Meh Tuh Kee, Shanghai, in 1909 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 98, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.[2] See note 1.[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery. -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Promise of Paradise (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)Promise of Paradise: Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture (December 1, 2012 to January 3, 2016)Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)Studies in Connoisseurship 1923-1983 (September 23, 1983 to March 1, 1984) -
Previous custodian or owner
Meh Tuh Kee (C.L. Freer source)Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) -
Origin
Quyang, Hebei province, China -
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer -
Type
Sculpture -
Restrictions and Rights
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
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