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Japanese

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kannon), 1200s

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Description

Maker

Culture

Japanese

Title

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kannon)

Year

1200s

Medium

Wood

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

49 x 28.5 x 17 cm (19 5/16 x 11 1/4 x 6 11/16 inches)

Type

Credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Sonnabend

Object Number

80.030

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Asian Art Galleries

Because Japan is home to extensive forests, wood has long been the dominant material for creating Japanese Buddhist statuary. This statue suffered areas of loss from wood-boring insects, but the topknot hairstyle may distinguish the figure as a type of Bodhisattva Kannon, the embodiment of compassion. Kannon can appear in 33 forms to save those in need. His “third-eye,” a jewel between his eyes, symbolizes his wide-reaching vision of the world and beyond.

A statue of this size may have been part of a larger grouping of figures surrounding a Buddha within a temple hall.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Kannon) with the accession number of 80.030. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.