China, Shanxi Province
Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644

The calm, sensitive face and informal posture of "royal ease" of this figure express both compassion and strength. Guanyin is a bodhisattva: a Buddhist deity who helps mortals to attain release from the cycle of earthly life. Though usually represented as female by the time of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), this sculpture looks back to an earlier tradition showing Guanyin as a graceful, androgynous prince. One of the most popular Chinese deities, Guanyin comforts the souls of the dead and acts as mediator for the wishes of the living. Carved from interlocking blocks of wood and once brightly painted, this sculpture originally sat on an artificial rocky ledge as part of a visually rich temple setting in north China.  

 

Painted wood
Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2004.13