Exhibition Guide

A life-size seated statue of a Boddhisatva figure in a relaxed pose, with one arm resting on its knee and its clothing draped over the edge of a platform. The figure is adorned in many necklaces and bracelets.

Water-Moon Guanyin (Shuiyue Guanyin). China. 1400-1500. Metal alloy, originally gilded, with blue and red pigment. 61 3/4 x 41 x 33 in. (156.8 x 104.2 x 83.8 cm.); weight estimated at 1,000 lbs. Baltimore Museum of Art: Julius Levy Memorial Fund, BMA 1944.80

A life-size seated statue of a Boddhisatva figure in a relaxed pose, with one arm resting on its knee and its clothing draped over the edge of a platform. The figure is adorned in many necklaces and bracelets.

Water-Moon Guanyin (Shuiyue Guanyin)

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    Bejeweled Being

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    Gender Ambiguity in This Sculpture

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    Looking at Materials

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    Looking with Fiber Artist Kenya Miles

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Art Object Info

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)

Medium:
Metal alloy, originally gilded, with blue and red pigment
Size:
Depth: 33"
Width: 41"
Height: 61 3/4"
Date:
15th Century

Guanyin attained enlightenment with the guidance of the Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, but rather than enter the eternal bliss of nirvana, she remains in this world to relieve the suffering of all creatures. Able to assume many guises, she is portrayed here as Water-Moon Guanyin, known to sit in a rocky grotto at the water’s edge beneath the full moon. She contemplates the moon’s ephemeral reflection at her feet. Strands of beaded jewelry, flowing robes, long fleshy earlobes, long hair, and bare feet are familiar attributes of Guanyin. Her slight smile invites the confidence of the faithful, while her downcast eyes survey the emptiness of existence.

Within a larger temple complex, this Water-Moon Guanyin would have occupied a north-facing altar behind the Buddha altar, in a passage hall with both a front and rear door. There, faithful followers venerated Water-Moon Guanyin by walking in a circle around the back-to-back altars in an effort to be reborn in Amitabha’s Western Paradise. Credited with providing children, easing childbirth, restoring health, and averting natural disasters, Guanyin’s popularity remains second only to Buddha’s across most of Asia.

Julius Levy Memorial Fund BMA 1944.80

Water-Moon Guanyin (Shuiyue Guanyin)

Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
Date:
15th Century
Medium:
Metal alloy, originally gilded, with blue and red pigment
Size:
Depth: 33"
Width: 41"
Height: 61 3/4"

Guanyin attained enlightenment with the guidance of the Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, but rather than enter the eternal bliss of nirvana, she remains in this world to relieve the suffering of all creatures. Able to assume many guises, she is portrayed here as Water-Moon Guanyin, known to sit in a rocky grotto at the water’s edge beneath the full moon. She contemplates the moon’s ephemeral reflection at her feet. Strands of beaded jewelry, flowing robes, long fleshy earlobes, long hair, and bare feet are familiar attributes of Guanyin. Her slight smile invites the confidence of the faithful, while her downcast eyes survey the emptiness of existence.

Within a larger temple complex, this Water-Moon Guanyin would have occupied a north-facing altar behind the Buddha altar, in a passage hall with both a front and rear door. There, faithful followers venerated Water-Moon Guanyin by walking in a circle around the back-to-back altars in an effort to be reborn in Amitabha’s Western Paradise. Credited with providing children, easing childbirth, restoring health, and averting natural disasters, Guanyin’s popularity remains second only to Buddha’s across most of Asia.

Julius Levy Memorial Fund BMA 1944.80