On view
Asian Art
Huo Pavilion
Huo Pavilion
White-Robed Kannon 白衣觀音 (Hakui Kannon),
late 14th–early 15th century
Anonymous
Japanese
Muromachi period, 1333–1568
y1992-6
The White-Robed Kannon is one of the many aspects of the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion, who appears frequently in literary and devotional sources of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries from China, where the deity is known as Guanyin. The white-robed image of the kannon was later adopted by Japanese painters, who frequently took inspiration from the works of earlier Chinese artists. Here, Kannon reclines with crossed legs amid a rocky landscape, head resting on hands, looking up toward a distant waterfall. A large halo surrounds the head, indicating divine status, and a small vase with a willow branch stands near the figure’s right elbow. At the viewer’s lower left is the small, bowing figure of Zenzai Doji (Sanskrit: Sudhana), a youth who has come seeking enlightenment.
More About This Object
Information
Title
White-Robed Kannon 白衣觀音 (Hakui Kannon)
Dates
late 14th–early 15th century
Maker
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions
Painting: 96.2 × 49.1 cm (37 7/8 × 19 5/16 in.)
mount: 185.6 × 60.6 cm (73 1/16 × 23 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Duane Wilder, Class of 1951
Object Number
y1992-6
Place Made
Asia, Japan
Inscription
On outside wrapper:
瀧觀音, Taki[mi] Kannon 瀧[見]観音 (Kannon [Watching] a Waterfall) [one of the Thirty-Three Manifestations of Guanyin 三十三观音相]
筑前國博多, Hakata 博多 ward [in Fukuoka 福岡 city], Chikuzen province
東常密寺常住, Permanently resides at 東常密寺 temple [Tōchō-ji 東長寺 is also called 東密長寺, is a Shingon temple in Hakata, Fukuoka city 福岡市. Founded by Kūkai and completed in 806, it is the oldest Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyushu]
Description
White-robed Kannon (J: Byakue kannon 白衣観音; S: Panduravansini avalokitesvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, sitting in a rocky landscape overlooking waves. The figure reclines with crossed legs; head resting on hands and looking up toward a distant waterfall. A large halo surrounds the head, indicating divine status, and a small vase with a willow branch is located near the figure’s right elbow. At lower right is the small bowing figure of Zenzai Doji 善財童子 (Sanskrit: Sudhana), a youth who has come seeking enlightenment.
Culture
Period
Materials
Subject
–1984 Sotheby's Fine Chinese Paintings auction, lot 3 (New York, NY), December 5, 1984.
–1992 Duane Wilder (New York, NY), gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1992.
–1992 Duane Wilder (New York, NY), gift to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1992.
