Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Head

Small head of Guanyin; high headdress; broken off at neck from statue.
Color: light gray.

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Historical period(s)
19th century, in the style of the Tang dynasty (618-907)
Medium
Stone
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 8.8 x 5.2 x 5.9 cm (3 7/16 x 2 1/16 x 2 5/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1915.317
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Sculpture, Stone
Type

Figure

Keywords
bodhisattva, Buddhism, China, forgery, Guanyin, Tang dynasty (618 - 907)
Provenance

To 1915
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), New York, NY, to 1915 [1]

From 1915 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Abel William Bahr, New York, in 1915 [2]

From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Reserve List, R. 5689, pg. 9, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Abel William Bahr (1877-1959) was a collector and dealer born in Shanghai, China. After he left Shanghai in 1910, he lived, at various points in time, in London, Montreal, and Ridgefield, Connecticut. He established a gallery in New York City in 1920.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Abel William Bahr (C.L. Freer source) 1877-1959

Description

Small head of Guanyin; high headdress; broken off at neck from statue.
Color: light gray.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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