The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2023

Willow-and-Moon Kannon (Yōryū Kannon)

楊柳観音図

c. 1500

attributed to Gakuō Zōkyū 岳翁蔵丘

(Japanese, active about 1482–1514)

Japan, Muromachi period

(1392–1573)

Hanging scroll; ink on paper

Overall with knobs: 207 x 67.9 cm (81 1/2 x 26 3/4 in.); Painting only: 104.8 x 44 cm (41 1/4 x 17 5/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1985.110

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Kannon is a bodhisattva—a being capable of enlightenment, but who delays it in order to help other beings.

Description

This painting of Kannon, a Buddhist deity of mercy and compassion with many forms. is attributed to Gakuō Zōkyū, a well-known Zen monk who specialized in ink painting. Kannon looks at the moon reflected in the water, a symbol of impermanence, and holds a willow branch and water vase symbolizing healing and purification.

Provenance
?-1985
(Kochukyo Co., Inc., Tokyo, Japan, ?-1985, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1985-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 1985-present
Citations
Cunningham, Michael R. and others. Masterworks of Asian Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1998. Reproduced: pp. 206-207
Exhibition history

The Year in Review for 1985. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 12-April 20, 1986).

Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 11, 2018-January 7, 2019).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1985.110