Bodhisattva and attendants
date: label: Date
content: 14th century
label: Period
content: Yuan dynasty
notes: label: Label
content: Bodhisattvas are princely disciples of the Buddha who have attained enlightenment but choose to remain accessible until all sentient beings have been saved. They are therefore saviors, unlike luohans, who are protectors of the Buddha Law. In the Water-Land Prayer rite for which this painting was made, it would have been displayed in an upper chamber among the deities, as of looking down at the mortals below.
label: Label
content: An unidentified bodhisattva is accompanied by two young women, one carrying a banner, the other a vase of flowers. The clouds are tinged with gold, and an air of serene, ethereal blessing is conveyed by the image. It was into this realm of serenity that one hoped to be reborn through the prayer rite.
label: Label
content: To learn more about this and similar objects, visit http://www.asia.si.edu/SongYuan/default.asp Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy.
label: Provenance
content: To 1913
label: Provenance
content: Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), London, to 1913 [1]
label: Provenance
content: From 1913 to 1919
label: Provenance
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Abel William Bahr, London, in 1913 [2]
label: Provenance
content: From 1920
label: Provenance
content: The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
label: Provenance
content: Notes:
label: Provenance
content: [1] See Original Kakemono and Makimono List, L. 930, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Abel William Bahr (1877-1959) was a collector and dealer born in Shanghai, China. After he left Shanghai in 1910, he lived, at various points in time, in London, Montreal, and Ridgefield, Connecticut. He established a gallery in New York City in 1920.
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: Enlightened Beings: Buddhism in Chinese Paintings (September 1, 2012 to February 24, 2013)
label: Exhibition History
content: Luxury and Luminosity: Visual Culture and the Ming Court (July 3, 2004 to June 26, 2005)
label: Exhibition History
content: In Human Form: Images of the Secular and Divine in Chinese Painting (January 31, 1996 to January 7, 1997)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Abel William Bahr (1877-1959) (C.L. Freer source)
label: Previous custodian or owner
content: Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
place: label: Origin
content: China
topic: label: Topic
content: Buddhism
label: Topic
content: bodhisattva
label: Topic
content: Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368)
label: Topic
content: China
label: Topic
content: kundika
label: Topic
content: Chinese Art
label: Topic
content: attendant
label: Topic
content: Charles Lang Freer collection
setName: label: Related Online Resources
content: Google Arts & Culture
label: Related Online Resources
content: Song and Yuan Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy
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: F1913.65
objectType: label: Type
content: Painting
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Ink and color on silk
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 121.8 x 53.6 cm (47 15/16 x 21 1/8 in)