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White-robed Avalokiteshvara
White-robed Avalokiteshvara

White-robed Avalokiteshvara

Place of OriginJapan
Dateapprox. 1350-1425
PeriodNanbokucho period (1333-1392) or Muromachi period (1392-1573)
MaterialsInk on silk
DimensionsH. 68 5/8 in x W. 20 3/4 in, H. 174.3 cm x W. 52.7 cm (overall); H. 34 7/8 in x W. 14 in, H. 88.6 cm x W. 35.6 cm (image)
Credit LineAcquisition made possible with funds given in memory of Willis R. Deming with additional funding from members of the Connoisseurs' Council, and the assistance of Joseph L. Brotherton in memory of Harry Packard
Object number2010.21
DepartmentJapanese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on view
More Information
An embodiment of infinite compassion,the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Gyuanyin; Japanese: Kannon) is shown here in one of his many manifestations. The Flower Garland Sutra (Sanskrit: Avatamsaka Sutra) describes the bodhisattva's dwelling on an island abode, the mythical Mount Potalaka. In this painting, based on a Chinese Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) prototype, Avalokiteshvara sits on a rocky pedestal above water, with a simple white robe worn over the bodhisattva's usual princely attire. The deity's eyes are cast downward, his expression gentle. In Japan,this contemplative form of the deity became popular in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, finding particular favor among practitioners of Zen Buddhism.