明 彩繪木雕善財童子像（椴木胎）|Pilgrim Sudhana (Shancai tongzi)

Art Historical Context

This exquisite wooden sculpture from China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644) depicts Shancai tongzi, or Pilgrim Sudhana, a beloved figure in Buddhist lore. Carved from a single block of linden wood and once vividly painted, the youthful pilgrim stands with hands clasped in reverence, embodying innocence and spiritual determination. Created between the late and early seventeenth centuries, the figure reflects the era’s flourishing tradition of devotional sculpture made for temples and private altars. Sudhana’s story comes from the Avatamsaka Sutra, in which the boy undertakes a quest to visit fifty-t...