Water and Moon Guanyin
Water and Moon Guanyin

photo: Masatsugu Nokubo

Water and Moon Guanyin
Water and Moon Guanyin

Currently not on view

Water and Moon Guanyin,

undated; ca. 1208

Anonymous, act. ca. early 13th century
inscription: Shiqiao Kexuan
Chinese
Southern Song dynasty, 1127–1279
1998-143
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More Context

Guanyin is known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Bodhisattvas are beings who are able to attain nirvana yet choose instead to stay in this world in order to help others. The deity’s full name, Guanshiyin (觀世音), means “Perceiver of Sounds [the cries for compassion of sentient beings] in the World.” Guanyin is seen as a protector of those in distress, including the sick, the disabled, the wretched, and the poor. A cult devoted to Guanyin emerged between the third and sixth centuries, and the deity became one of the most worshipped figures in the Buddhist pantheon across Asia. Here, seated on a rock pedestal that rises from the sea, Guanyin expresses the infinite compassion of the Bodhisattva through a pensive downcast gaze.

Information

Title
Water and Moon Guanyin
Dates

undated; ca. 1208

Maker
Anonymous , act. ca. early 13th century
inscription: Shiqiao Kexuan
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions
Painting: 77.5 x 37.0 cm. (30 1/2 x 14 9/16 in.) Mount: 159 x 48.5 cm. (62 5/8 x 19 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of John B. Elliott, Class of 1951
Object Number
1998-143
Place Made

Asia, China

Inscription
inscription, dated 1208, by Shiqiao Kexuan; Text: 綠水海上，虛白光中 一覩其相，萬緣皆空 嘉定改元、淨慈可宣拜書于慧日閣 Translation: On the green waters of the ocean, In the illusionary clarity of the light; Once the deity's countenance is perceived, the myriad affinities become immaterial. In the starting year of the Jiading reign, Kexuan of Jingzi respectfully wrote this at the Huiri Ge hall. Note: this derives from a poems by Bo Juyi 白居易《畫水月菩薩贊》: “ 淨淥水上，虛白光中，一睹其相，萬緣皆空” and from his 《廣陵贈別》[電子版李白詩全集卷 十四 （古近體詩三十四首）] 玉瓶沽美酒。 數里送君還。 系馬垂楊下。 銜杯大道間。 天邊看綠水。 海上見青山。 興罷各分袂。 何須醉別顏。
Marks/Labels/Seals
Inscriber's: "Shiqiao" 石橋 square relief (upper left) Collector's: "Sikan" 思堪 square relief (lower left)
Culture
Chinese
Period
Southern Song
Type
paintings, hanging scrolls, scroll paintings, chinese painting styles
Materials
silk (textile), ink
Subject
Buddhism, figures (representations), women, religious art

–1998 John B. Elliott (Princeton, NJ), by bequest to the Princeton University Art Museum, 1998.

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