On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Sudhana (Shancai Tongzi)
This life-size statue portrays the pilgrim Sudhana, who traveled afar to study with learned masters and celestial bodhisattvas in his quest for enlightenment; he is typically shown venerating Guanyin, also known as Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. The inscription on the lotus pedestal states that the statue was cast in the imperial workshop for the Ming court in the xinsi year of the Chongzhen reign, corresponding to 1641, just three years before the dynasty’s fall. Three other statues of different Buddhist icons bearing the same inscription are known to survive, indicating that this figure was part of a much larger altar group. The magnificent craftsmanship and grand scale represent the finale of imperial Ming bronze production.
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