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UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST. Water-moon Avalokiteshvara

Water-moon Avalokiteshvara. Artist: Unidentified Artist. Culture: Korea. Dimensions: Image: 45 1/16 x 21 7/8 in. (114.5 x 55.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 79 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (201.6 x 76.5 cm) Overall with mounting: 79 3/8 x 28 in. (201.6 x 71.1 cm). Date: first half of the 14th century. The Water-moon Avalokiteshvara (Korean: Suwol gwaneum) is an iconographic type that was popular in Korea during the Goryeo period. She was worshipped for her ability to prevent calamities and diseases and to safeguard travelers on their journey. This painting shows the resplendently attired bodhisattva in three-quarter view, seated on a rocky outcropping above the waves. At the top is a diminutive moon, in which a hare pounds the elixir of immortality. At the bodhisattva's feet, the dragon king leads a group of elegantly dressed miniature figures; behind them follow sea monsters bearing precious gifts. The boy pilgrim Sudhana (Korean: Seonjae dongja) stands at the lower right; his encounter with this deity, as recounted in the Avatamsaka (Flower Adornment) Sutra, provides the textual source for the scroll. The delicate and splendid gold-painted design on the robes of the deities is a noteworthy trademark of Goryeo Buddhist painting. Another is that the pigments were applied to both the back and front of the semitransparent silk, intensifying their hues and luminosity, though some have faded over time due to light exposure.
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Author:
UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST
Title:
Water-moon Avalokiteshvara
Caption:
Water-moon Avalokiteshvara. Artist: Unidentified Artist. Culture: Korea. Dimensions: Image: 45 1/16 x 21 7/8 in. (114.5 x 55.6 cm) Overall with knobs: 79 3/8 x 30 1/8 in. (201.6 x 76.5 cm) Overall with mounting: 79 3/8 x 28 in. (201.6 x 71.1 cm). Date: first half of the 14th century. The Water-moon Avalokiteshvara (Korean: Suwol gwaneum) is an iconographic type that was popular in Korea during the Goryeo period. She was worshipped for her ability to prevent calamities and diseases and to safeguard travelers on their journey. This painting shows the resplendently attired bodhisattva in three-quarter view, seated on a rocky outcropping above the waves. At the top is a diminutive moon, in which a hare pounds the elixir of immortality. At the bodhisattva's feet, the dragon king leads a group of elegantly dressed miniature figures; behind them follow sea monsters bearing precious gifts. The boy pilgrim Sudhana (Korean: Seonjae dongja) stands at the lower right; his encounter with this deity, as recounted in the Avatamsaka (Flower Adornment) Sutra, provides the textual source for the scroll. The delicate and splendid gold-painted design on the robes of the deities is a noteworthy trademark of Goryeo Buddhist painting. Another is that the pigments were applied to both the back and front of the semitransparent silk, intensifying their hues and luminosity, though some have faded over time due to light exposure.
Technique/material:
Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk
Period:
Goryeo dynasty (918-1392)
Museum:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Credit:
Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
Releases:
Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?
Image size:
2261 x 4466 px | 28.9 MB
Print size:
19.1 x 37.8 cm | 7.5 x 14.9 in (300 dpi)
Keywords:
ASIA • ASIAN ART • GORYEO DYNASTY (918-1392) • HANGING SCROLL; INK AND COLOR ON SILK • HANGING SCROLLS • INK • KOREA • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • PAINTINGS • SCROLL PAINTINGS • SCROLLS • SILK • TEXTILES: SILK • UNIDENTIFIED ARTIST