Possibly Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) with attendants

A Maitreya triad.
Surface: gilded; grayish incrustation and spots of green patina.
Decoration: details of ornamentation engraved. Inscription.

Historical period(s)
Northern Qi dynasty, Period of Division, 555
Medium
Bronze with gilding
Dimensions
H x W x D: 11.6 × 5.3 × 4.5 cm (4 9/16 × 2 1/16 × 1 3/4 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1911.122
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Metalwork, Sculpture
Type

Figure

Keywords
abhaya mudra, attendant, bodhisattva, Buddhism, casting, China, gilding, Guanyin, incense, inscription, lion, lotus, Maitreya Buddha, mandorla, Northern Qi dynasty (550 - 577), Period of Division (220 - 589)
Provenance

To 1911
Sung, Beijing, to 1911 [1]

From 1911 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Sung in 1911 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 277, 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.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Sung (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919

Description

A Maitreya triad.
Surface: gilded; grayish incrustation and spots of green patina.
Decoration: details of ornamentation engraved. Inscription.

Inscription(s)

Translation: "In the 5th year of T'ien Pao Buddhist Liu Li Yu had this image of Kuan-yin made in memory of his deceased parents and brothers."

The inscription reads: "Ta Ch'i T'ien-pao wu-nien nien-san-jihh Liu Chi-yu wai ch'i shih hsien wang fu wai wang fu mu hsiung tsao Kuan-shih-yin hsiang i-ch'u yuan wang fu mu t'uo-sheng hsien fang ti-tzu so-yuan ju-shih"[Chn].
It can be rendered: "On the 23rd day (no month given) in the 5th year of T'ien-pao of the Great Ch'i (dynasty), Liu Chi-yu made this image of Kuan-yin made for his ancestors of seven generations, for his deceased parents and elder brother, in the hope that his deceased parents be incarnate...Such is the wish of the follower [of Buddha]."

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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