Currently not on view
Nine Lotus Guanyin,
1592 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)
Chinese
y1958-169
Information
Title
Nine Lotus Guanyin
Dates
1592 (stone); late 19th to first half of 20th century (rubbing)
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink rubbing on paper
Dimensions
image: 113.5 x 61.5 cm. (44 11/16 x 24 3/16 in.)
sheet: 133.5 x 65.5 cm. (52 9/16 x 25 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of George Rowley
Object Number
y1958-169
Place Made
Asia, China
Inscription
九蓮觀音像
“Portrait of the Nine Lotus Guanyin”
大明萬曆壬辰年[1592]孟春正月二十五日[。。。]立石
“Stone erected [7-8 characters that appear as if one set of characters was carved over another set] on the 25th day on the 1st month of spring of the renchen cyclical year of the Wanli reign of the Great Ming.”
Description
Guanyin as the Nine-lotus bodhisattva is seated behind a balustrade with the character “Buddha” (fo 佛) in her headdress. On her right on top of a balustrade corner post is set a kundika ritual ewer with a willow spray. In front is a pond with nine lotus blossoms and the small figures of the boy pilgrim Shancai 善財童子 (Sanscrit: Sudhana) standing on a lotus leaf at right, and the Dragon Girl (龍女) at left. Behind Guanyin is a fantastic garden rock in a bamboo grove with a parrot at upper right. At upper left is the figure of a guardian warrior standing on a cloud swirl. In 1586, nine lotus flowers issued as double blooms in the palace residence of the Empress Dowager Cisheng 慈聖 (Xiaoding taihou 孝定太后, Li Caifeng 李彩鳳, 1546-1614), who was a devout Buddhist. In a dream visitation, she was bestowed the text of the Nine Lotus Sutra (Jiulian jing 九蓮經). Viewed as omens, these occurrences led Cisheng to see herself as the incarnation of Guanyin. The carved inscription at upper left dates when the pictorial stone from which this rubbing was taken was erected, but the identity of the carver or carving agent is obscured by efforts to change or efface the name.
Culture
Type
Subject
