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Kannon Bosatsu

A work made of wood with traces of polychromy.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of wood with traces of polychromy.

Date:

12th/14th century

Artist:

Japan

About this artwork

This figure of Kannon, the bodhisattva of divine mercy and compassion, was originally part of an ensemble of three statues depicting the Welcoming Descent (raigo), in which the Amida Buddha and his attendants descend from the Western Paradise to welcome newly deceased souls. Here Kannon leans forward and extends a lotus pedestal (now lost), on which a soul would be carried into paradise. The idea of raigo was incredibly reassuring to Buddhist devotees, who, when close to death, used sculptures and painted images to imagine this journey to peace.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Kannon Bosatsu

Place

Japan (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1185–1333

Medium

Wood with traces of polychromy

Dimensions

83.9 × 36.9 × 36.9 cm (33 × 14 1/2 × 14 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Samuel M. Nickerson Endowment

Reference Number

1934.489

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/87308/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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