Asian Art

Northern Chinese
Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234)
Head of Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Mercy
gilded and painted cast iron, 13th century
Ackland Fund, 88.29

Guanyin is the Chinese name for the bodhisattva called Avalokiteshvara in India. An attendant of Amitabha (Buddha of the Western Paradise) Guanyin has been worshipped in both male and female form. Like most figures of Guanyin, this sculpture wears a crown bearing the image of Amitabha.