白衣観音図|White-robed Kannon
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Hanging scroll; ink on silk
Dimensions
Image: 45 3/4 × 20 3/8 in. (116.2 × 51.8 cm) Overall with mounting: 82 3/4 × 26 1/4 in. (210.2 × 66.7 cm) Overall with knobs: 82 3/4 × 28 5/8 in. (210.2 × 72.7 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Culture & Period
Japan · Nanbokuchō period (1336–92)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Bequest of Dorothy Graham Bennett, Herbert J. Coyne Gift, Seymour Fund and Fletcher Fund, by exchange, 1985
Accession Number
1985.120.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite hanging scroll, *White-robed Kannon hails from Japan's Nanbokuchō period (133692), a turbulent era civil war between rival imperial courts. Created by an unknown artist in the 14th century using ink on silk, it portrays Kannon (Avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva of compassion, draped in flowing white robes that symbolize purity and grace. Surrounded by cascading waterfalls, the figure evokes a sense of serene divinity amid nature's power, a common motif in Buddhist art to convey enlightenment and mercy. Ink on silk was a revered medium in Japanese painting, allowing for subtle gra...