Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
date: label: Date
content: 453
label: Period
content: Period of Division, Northern Wei dynasty
notes: label: Description
content: Standing Bodhisattva Lotus holder Guanyin in relief against a flaming "mandorla;" inscription of 32 characters incised on four-legged base.
label: Description
content: Bronze gilded and much worn.
label: Inscriptions
content: (H.C. Lovell, 1974) The inscription reads: "Ta Wei Hsing-an erh-nien sui tsai kuei-ssu Chu-lu hsia Ch'u-yang ch'ing-hsin-nu Chao Lu-yuan wai mang tsu-fu mu ching tsao Kuan-Shih yin hsian" [Chn]
label: Inscriptions
content: It can be rendered: "In the second year of Hsing-an of the Great Wei Dynasty [A.D. 453], cycle "kuei-ssu," Buddhist Chao Lu-yuan (woman) of Ch'u-yang, in the proximity of Chu-lu, respectfully had this image of Kuan-yin made for her deceased grandparents."
label: Inscriptions
content: (See Curatorial Remark number 6)
label: Inscriptions
content: The inscription reads: [Chn]
label: Inscriptions
content: "Dai Wei Xingan ernian sui zai guisi Julu xia Quyang qingxin nu Zhao Luyuan wei wang zufumu jing zao Guanshiyin xiang" which can be translated: "Great Wei Dynasty, Xingan era second year (453 A.D.), year cycle guisi, the female believer Zhao Luyuan of Quyang, near Julu (present day Hebei), for the sake of her deceased grandparents respectfully had this image of Guanshiyin made."
label: Inscriptions
content: (See Curatorial Remark number 8)
label: Inscriptions
content: 方座的右侧刻有铭文题记曰： transcription by Chang Qing
label: Inscriptions
content: 大魏太和…/年/岁/在/癸巳…鹿
label: Inscriptions
content: 方座背部续刻铭文题记曰：
label: Inscriptions
content: 方座背部续刻铭文题记曰：
label: Provenance
content: To 1909
label: Provenance
content: Meh Tuh Kee, Shanghai, to 1909 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1909 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Meh Tuh Kee, Shanghai, in 1909 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Bronze List, S.I. 98, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
label: Provenance
content: [2] See note 1.
label: Provenance
content: [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.
label: Collection
content: Freer Gallery of Art Collection
label: Exhibition History
content: Promise of Paradise (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
label: Exhibition History
content: Promise of Paradise: Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture (December 1, 2012 to January 3, 2016)
label: Exhibition History
content: Buddhist Art (May 9, 1993 to August 9, 2011)
label: Exhibition History
content: Studies in Connoisseurship 1923-1983 (September 23, 1983 to March 1, 1984)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Meh Tuh Kee (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: Quyang, Hebei province, China
topic: label: Topic
content: casting
label: Topic
content: gilding
label: Topic
content: metal
label: Topic
content: bronze
label: Topic
content: Buddhism
label: Topic
content: bodhisattva
label: Topic
content: Avalokiteshvara
label: Topic
content: Period of Division (220 - 589)
label: Topic
content: Northern Wei dynasty (386 - 534)
label: Topic
content: Guanyin
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: mandorla
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: On View
content: West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 17: Promise of Paradise
label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: See more items in
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Charles Lang Freer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: F1909.266
objectType: label: Type
content: Sculpture
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Bronze with gilding
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 23 x 11.9 x 6.8 cm (9 1/16 x 4 11/16 x 2 11/16 in)