明洪武十八年 彩繪木雕水月觀音菩薩像（柳木胎）|Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin)

Unknown

dated 1385 · Wood (willow) with gesso and traces of pigment; single woodblock construction · Asian Art

This powerful figure belongs to a small group of wooden sculptures that can be securely dated, owing to an inscription that also provides rare information regarding its production and intended use. The inscription appears on the interior surface of a removable panel in the figure’s back that gives access to a chamber that once contained consecratory material. It states that the sculpture was carved in 1385 under the direction of a certain Xin Zhongwen, who, together with members of Dongan village, commissioned the piece. It also names two artists—Feng Xiaozhong, “Woodcarver-in-Attendance,” and his son—and explains that the sculpture was created for a temple and to serve as a guardian of a road.

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated 1385

Medium

Wood (willow) with gesso and traces of pigment; single woodblock construction

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Anonymous Gift, in memory of Edward Robinson, 1953