Guanyin
Figure of Guanyin
1580-1640 (made)
1580-1640 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Lacquered and gilt ivory figure of Guanyin the Bringer of Sons holding the child Zen Zai on her right shoulder supported by both hands, wearing a long flowing drapery with a row of beads over her left wrist. Zen Zai wears a tunic and loose trousers, and holds a spray of leaves in his right hand. Mounted on a circular metal base.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Guanyin (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Ivory, lacquered and gilded |
Brief description | Figure of Guanyin the Bringer of Sons, lacquered and gilt ivory, probably Zhangzhou, China, Ming dynasty, 1580-1640 |
Physical description | Lacquered and gilt ivory figure of Guanyin the Bringer of Sons holding the child Zen Zai on her right shoulder supported by both hands, wearing a long flowing drapery with a row of beads over her left wrist. Zen Zai wears a tunic and loose trousers, and holds a spray of leaves in his right hand. Mounted on a circular metal base. |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Gallery label | Guanyin the Bringer of Sons
Ming dynasty
1580-1640
The convention of representing Guanyin with a child was influenced by the Christian iconography of the Virgin and Child imported by the Spanish and Portuguese.
Lacquered and gilt ivory
Probably Zhangzhou, south China
Museum no. 274-1898(2009) |
Object history | Purchased from a source not recorded in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1898. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
Subjects depicted | |
Bibliographic reference | Clunas, Craig. Chinese Carving. London: Sun Tree Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria & Albert Museum, 1996. p. 20, fig. 8. |
Other number | 51454 - Negative number |
Collection | |
Accession number | 274-1898 |
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Record created | June 25, 2009 |
Record URL |
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