Seated Guanyin
1400–1499
- Medium
- gilt bronze
- Dimensions
- Overall: 22.1 x 16.7 cm (8 11/16 x 6 9/16 in.)
- Genre
- sculpture
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
About
A heavily jeweled Guanyin sits in the posture of royal ease on a double-lotus throne. Also known as Avalokitesvara or the Bodhisattava of Compassion, Guanyin postponed achieving enlightenment in order to assist all who cry out for help. This made Guanyin a very popular devotional figure for Buddhists. This gilt bronze's size suggests that it could have been placed on a private altar or shrine for personal devotion.