Seated Guanyin (Song dynasty (960–1279)): Artwork and History

Seated Guanyin (Song dynasty (960–1279)) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as China.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

Guanyin is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, one of the most beloved Chinese Buddhist deities. He can be identified by the small figure of Amituo (Amitabha), Buddha of the Western Paradise, in his headdress. His pose—seated with one leg hanging and his right arm resting on the other knee—further distinguishes him as Guanyin of the Southern Sea, a reference to the deity’s island home. The figure’s gentle expression makes an emotional appeal to the viewer, which is typical of Chinese sculpture from the Song dynasty (960–1279). The carving was originally painted with intricately patterned robes and traces of color are still visible on his back. Later—probably during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)—the wood was covered entirely with gold.

Object facts

• Title: Seated Guanyin
• Date: Song dynasty (960–1279)
• Artist attribution: China
• Place of origin: China
• Medium: Paulownia wood with polychromy and gilding
• Dimensions: 158.0 x 97.8 cm (H: 62 1/4 x W: 38 1/2 in)
• Type: Sculpture
• Department: Arts of Asia
• Reference number: 1923.921

Collection credit

Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection

View the original

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.