Guanyin figure
Culture
Chinese
Date20th century
Mediumnephrite
Dimensions36.8 cm (14 1/2 in.)
ClassificationsJades
Credit LineGift of John and Maria Dirlam
Object number2001.453
Descriptionseparate wooden baseLabel Text2006-03-06: Nephrite; 20th century Gift of Maria and John Dirlam, 2001.453 Guanyin (Avalokitesvara; "the one who listens to the world") is the Buddhist Bodhisattva of Compassion, an enlightened deity who abstained from entering Nirvana in order help suffering mortals. Early Chinese depictions showed Guanyin as a male figure. By the 12th-13th century Guanyin had been transformed into a beautiful bare-footed woman, often shown with head covering, rosary and a vial filled with tears of mercy or a vessel with a lotus design (signifying her ability to help believers conceive sons). Guanyin is occasionally portrayed seated on a Buddhist lion to symbolize her dominance over the powers of nature, and/or with her left hand raised in the gesture for warding-off evil. Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light who presides over the Western Paradise, is sometimes also shown as an image in Guanyin's diadem.
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