The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea

1600s

China, Fujian Province, Ming dynasty

(1368-1644) - Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Porcelain with white glaze, Dehua ware
Overall: 45.2 cm (17 13/16 in.)
The Norweb Collection 1950.579
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

When Marco Polo visited China in the late 1200s, he was so impressed by the Dehua kilns that he included lengthy descriptions of ceramic production in his chronicle of his journey.

Description

Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of infinite compassion (Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit), is the most revered enlightened being in East Asia. The bodhisattva perceives all beings in need of help and reveals himself in many forms. Here, his elaborate lotus pedestal rests on the crest of surging waves, identifying him as Guanyin of the South Seas. The Dehua kilns in Fujian province in southern China produced white porcelain figures for both the domestic and export markets. In China, such a figure may have furnished a house altar or a temple.
  • ?–1950
    Mrs. R. Henry [Emery May Holden] Norweb [1895-1984], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1950–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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    Marquardt, Janet, and Stephen Eskilson. Frames of Reference: Art, History, and the World. McGraw-Hill Humanities Social, 2004. Mentioned and Reproduced: fig. 2.29, p. 45
    Sun, Di 孙迪, editor. Zhongguo liu shi hai wai Fo jiao zao xiang zong he tu mu [中国流失海外佛教造像总合图目 = Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Buddhist Statues in Overseas Collections]. Beijing: Wai wen chu ban she, 2005. Mentioned: vol. 7, p. 1460
  • Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting Part 2. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 10-September 1, 2024).
    Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting (Chinese art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2023-May 5, 2024).
    Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 119). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 29, 2003-March 15, 2004).
    Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    The World of Ceramics: Masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 30-September 5, 1982).
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  • {{cite web|title=Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea|url=false|author=|year=1600s|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.579