清康熙 檀木雕觀音像|Bodhisattva Guanyin

Unknown

datable to1678 · Sandalwood with lacquer and gilding, single-woodblock construction · Asian Art

Like many Buddhist sculptures, this one originally contained, in its hollow interior, a paper dedication inscribed with the patron’s wishes. Though the bodhisattva does not take the outward form of Guanyin the Bringer of Sons, the inscription expresses the patron’s hope for a male heir: “The [Buddhist] believers Kong Xishan and his wife wholeheartedly commission the carving of this golden-bodied Guanyin in order to entreat [Guanyin] to fulfill our wishes that we may live together to old age and have a fine son soon.”

Artist

Unknown

Date

datable to1678

Medium

Sandalwood with lacquer and gilding, single-woodblock construction

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of R. Hatfield Ellsworth, 1962