The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 23, 2024

Figure of Guanyin with impressed He Chaozong mark

Figure of Guanyin with impressed He Chaozong mark

early 1600s
(Chinese, active early 1600s)
Overall: 22.5 x 15.8 x 11.5 cm (8 7/8 x 6 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

Guanyin, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion (Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit), perceives all beings in need of help, and reveals himself in many forms; it is the most revered enlightened being in East Asia. Here, Guanyin is depicted as a woman seated on a rock island, holding a scroll—the symbol of knowledge—in her left hand.

The flow of the figure’s garment and the fine details reveal an exceptionally well-sculpted porcelain figure. This figure bears on its back the rare seal of the sculptor He Chaozong, who ranks among the best 17th-century potters from Dehua in Fujian Province. Dehua porcelain figures were produced for both the domestic and export markets. In China, such a figure may have furnished a house altar or the desk of a scholar.
  • ?–1936
    (Y. Tsuruki, Kyoto, 24 April 1936, sold to William Carey Crane)
    1936–88
    William Carey Crane [1891–1978] and Lois Whitin Crane [1896–1988] Collection
    1988–2018
    by descent within the Crane family collection
    September 13–14, 2018
    (Christie's, New York, 13-14 September 2018 sale, lot no. 1346)
    2018–
    The MCH Foundation
  • Like a Lotus Unstained by Mud. Hoam Museum of Art, Kyunggi-do, Korea (Republic of) (March 19-June 23, 2024) https://www.leeumhoam.org/hoam/exhibition/77.
    Taming Tigers and Releasing Dragons: Masterpieces of Chinese Buddhist Art – Chinese Gallery Rotation 240a, 241c. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 8-August 11, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Figure of Guanyin with impressed He Chaozong mark|url=false|author=He Chaozong|year=early 1600s|access-date=23 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/18.2018