Unknown Artist
Chinese (late 19th-early 20th c.)

Guanyin
Ink and color on paper

Gift of William Bingham II from the Peterson Collection
Bowdoin 1942.034

The Water-Moon Guanyin is the oft-venerated Chinese form of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, represented here in a style typical of Buddhist murals. As the Goddess of Mercy, she is depicted bare-footed in a white flowing robe treading on emblematic lotus blossoms, symbolizing purity of body, speech, and mind. With a willow switch in her right hand, she sprinkles pure dew water from the vessel in her left. Framed by a halo representing the moon and clad in a robe dotted by traditional symbols of luck and prosperity, Guanyin stands poised to relieve the suffering of the unenlightened on earth.