In the 1100s, the powerful Fujiwara family commissioned one thousand sculptures of Shō Kannon, the primary incarnation of the compassionate Buddhist deity Kannon and a rescuer of suffering souls. Traces of color and gold on this example, which once held a lotus bud in its left hand, hint at the resplendence of the original sculptural tableau. The Fujiwara commissioned the sculptures for Kōfukuji, a Buddhist temple in the ancient capital of Nara that they had patronized for more than five hundred years. The sculptures were dispersed in the nineteenth century and are now held in collections worldwide.
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Artwork Details
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聖観音立像
Title:Shō Kannon, the Bodhisattva of Compassion
Period:Heian period (794–1185)
Date:12th century
Culture:Japan
Medium:Wood with traces of gold and color
Dimensions:H. 17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm); W. 6 in. (15.2 cm); D. 5 3/4 in. (14.6 cm)
Classification:Sculpture
Credit Line:Dr. and Mrs. Roger G. Gerry Collection, Bequest of Dr. and Mrs. Roger G. Gerry, 2000
Accession Number:2002.447.2
Roger G. and Peggy N. Gerry , Roslyn, NY, until 2002; donated to MMA
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Japanese Art from the Gerry Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 15, 1989–June 29, 1990.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Tribute to a Dedicated Collector: Mary Griggs Burke," June 30–November 29, 2004.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Spring and Summer," December 17, 2005–June 4, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Autumn and Winter," June 22–September 10, 2006.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Flowing Streams: Scenes from Japanese Arts and Life," December 21, 2006–June 3, 2007.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Poetry and Travel in Japanese Art," December 18, 2008–May 31, 2009.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "A Sensitivity to the Seasons: Summer and Autumn in Japanese Art," June 24–October 23, 2011.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art," April 8, 2023–July 14, 2024.
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