![]() ![]() Left: Triptych with the Coronation of the Virgin, 1325–50. Despite their different poses, both figures convey a divinity distinctly removed from the real experiences of mortal humans. The Virgin and Child also might have been carried in religious processions outside the architectural setting of the church, while Avalokiteshvara would likely have been shown at a monastery altar. Relaxed but strong and formative, Avalokiteshvara beckons the audience forward, ready to hear the cries of the world.īoth of these sculptures would have been placed in public churches or temples. Avalokiteshvara is adorned within an ornate crown and necklace. This posture represents the “Water Moon” manifestation of the bodhisattva in his personal paradise. This eleventh-century Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin), currently on display in Gallery 208, depicts Avalokiteshvara in a relaxed, leisurely pose, with one knee raised and the other crossed in front. Both the Virgin and Child’s emotionless expressions, coupled with the strongly linear symmetry, suggest the timeless permanence of divine authority in the Christian context. In both sculptures, mother and child are rendered in a stiff and rigid form that typifies the theological concept Sedes Sapientiae or “Throne of Wisdom.” The infant Jesus, depicted as a diminutive mature figure rather than a child, represents divine wisdom and is seated upon the Virgin, who acts as his throne. These eleventh- and twelfth-century images of the Virgin Mary and Guanyin embody distinctly supernatural, divine authority figures, far removed from later images that suggest compassion and tenderness.Įnthroned Virgin and Child (1150–1200), currently on display at The Met Cloisters, is a counterpart to a sculpture from about 1175 to 1200 included in the exhibition Crossroads: Power and Piety. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Fletcher Fund, 1928, (28.56) Wood (willow) with traces of pigment multiple-woodblock construction, 46 ½ × 37 ½ × 28 in. Right: Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin), 11th century. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Cloisters Collection and James J. Walnut with gesso, paint, tin leaf, and traces of linen, 27 × 11 ¼ × 11 in. Left: Enthroned Virgin and Child (1150–1200). Similar to the Virgin Mary, Guanyin became a popular intercessor for humanity to understand divine salvation. However, in imperial China, Guanyin became increasingly cemented as a female figure. Originally depicted as a male or gender-neutral entity able to take on thirty-three manifestations, Avalokiteshvara is a compassionate savior who hears the woes of humankind, regardless of age, gender, or social class. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who chose to stay on earth as accessible examples for Buddhist faithful to follow. Guanyin is the Chinese translation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Through this easily understood archetype, she became a popular intercessor for devout Christians across Medieval Europe, where various types of “ Virgin and Child” works of art proliferated She was often depicted with her infant child, emphasizing her role as a holy maternal figure and mediator between humanity and the divine. In western Christianity, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ’s mother, was a popular focus of personal devotion. Centuries of shifts in these representations illustrate how people across the world have envisioned human compassion and mortal emotions. The Christian and Buddhist devout understood the Virgin Mary and Guanyin, respectively, in similar manners and archetypes of imagery, despite the fact that they did not directly influence one another until later periods of Imperialism and Colonialism in Asia. These examples pose interesting questions about how pre-modern artists visualized different aspects of divinity in their respective cultural contexts. Both contexts produced images of divine figures that represent concepts like compassion, mercy, and love: the Virgin Mary in medieval Europe, and Guanyin in imperial China. ![]() Surprisingly, certain works of art in both western Christian and eastern Buddhist cultures seem to share visual similarities. During the Middle Ages-a period of over one thousand years-people of various cultures across the world practiced independent religious faiths, ranging from western feudal Europe to imperial China, while also maintaining cross-cultural exchange. ![]()
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