Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Standing figure of Guanyin, in good condition save for loss of two-thirds of circular halo.
Color, pale greenish yellow.

Historical period(s)
Possibly Eastern Wei dynasty, Period of Division, 534-550
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 32.3 x 12 x 9.8 cm (12 11/16 x 4 3/4 x 3 7/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1912.81
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Sculpture, Stone
Type

Figure

Keywords
Avalokitesvara, bodhisattva, Buddhism, China, Eastern Wei dynasty (534 - 550), fly whisk, forgery, Guanyin, halo, kalasa, kundika, lion, lotus, Period of Division (220 - 589)
Provenance

Abel William Bahr [1877-1959] or Peter J. Bahr [died circa 1928] [1]

To 1912
N.E. Montross (1849-1932), New York, NY, to 1912 [2]

From 1912 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from N.E. Montross in 1912 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] See Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record. Peter J. Bahr (died circa 1928) and Abel William Bahr (1877-1959) were brothers born in Shanghai. Peter remained in Shanghai. Abel left Shanghai in 1910, after which he lived, at various points in time, in London, Montreal, and Ridgefield, Connecticut. He established a gallery in New York City in 1920.

[2] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 374, p. 118, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] 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)

N.E. Montross (C.L. Freer source) 1849-1932
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Abel William Bahr 1877-1959
Peter Johannes Bahr 1882-1929

Description

Standing figure of Guanyin, in good condition save for loss of two-thirds of circular halo.
Color, pale greenish yellow.

Published References
  • Organizing Committee of the International Symposium on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. International Symposium on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property: Interregional Influences in East Asian Art History., 5th ed. Tokyo, October 6 - 9, 1981. fig. 9a.
  • Saburo Matsubara. Kankoku kondobutsu kenkyu: kodai Chosen kondobutsu no keifu. Tokyo. p. 23, fig. 26.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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