Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara as the Water-Moon Guanyin

Object Details

• Description

  Seated figure of Guanyin on a rocky ledge with a dragon coming out the water; animals and figures fill the rocky niches around Guanyin. To the left of the deity, a humanlike figure with a tail and a child on its back offers a bowl to Guanyin. Inscription on reverse with date of 1091.

• Inscriptions

  Inscription includes a date of year 6 of the Yuanyou reign.

• Provenance

  To 1913

  Yamanaka & Company, New York to 1913 [1]

  From 1913 to 1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Yamanaka & Company, New York in 1913 [2]

  From 1920

  The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Undated folder sheet note. See S.I. 405, Original Miscellaneous List, pg. 128, 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

  Chinese Buddhist Sculpture in New Light (April 14, 2002 to September 8, 2003)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Yamanaka and Co. 山中商会 (1917-1965) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Sculpture

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  900s, 1200s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Yamanaka and Co.

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Chinese Art, Mudra, Northern Song dynasty (960 - 1127), Stone, Bodhisattva, Dragon, Guanyin

• Culture

  Buddhists, Chinese

• Object Type

  Sculpture