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Guanyin seated on a rock and looking at the moon floating in water, from an album of twenty-four portraits of Guanyin
Guanyin seated on a rock and looking at the moon floating in water, from an album of twenty-four portraits of Guanyin

Guanyin seated on a rock and looking at the moon floating in water, from an album of twenty-four portraits of Guanyin

Artist (Chinese, active ca. 1565–1585)
Datelate 16th century
MediumAlbum pages: gold ink on dyed paper
DimensionsImage (each): 11 9/16 × 8 11/16 inches (29.4 × 22.1 cm);
Sheet: 14 9/16 × 22 inches (37 × 55.9 cm);
Mat: 22 × 28 inches (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
CultureChina
PeriodMing dynasty
ClassificationsCalligraphy
Credit LineAcquired through the generosity of Judith Stoikov, Class of 1963, supplemented by the George and Mary Rockwell Fund, and gift of Warner L. Overton, Class of 1922, by exchange
Terms
  • Calligraphy
  • Ink
  • Buddhism
  • Bodhisattvas
  • Avalokitesvara
  • Guanyin
  • Rock
  • Moon
  • Water
  • Lotus flowers
  • Paper
  • Chinese
Object number2002.012.008
Label CopyIn Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism, various manifestations of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, represent ways of mind-cultivation. The image above shows Guanyin floating in the clouds, and looking down at the moon itself, which represents enlightenment. The Water-and-Moon Guanyin was believed to dwell on an island off the east coast of China, where she sits on a rocky outcropping and meditates on the moon’s reflection in the water, a metaphor for the illusory nature of phenomena. Little is known of Miss Qiu’s biography beyond the fact that she was the daughter of the famous painter Qiu Ying (active 1530–50). This album was commissioned by the wife of one of China’s greatest art collectors, Xiang Yuanbian (1525–1590). (“Moon," curated by Ellen Avril and presented at the Johnson Museum August 25, 2018-January 13, 2019)
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