Water-moon Avalokiteshvara

Unidentified artist

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Water-moon Avalokiteshvara (Korean: Suwol gwaneum) is an iconographic type that was popular in Korea during the Goryeo period. She was worshipped for her ability to prevent calamities and diseases and to safeguard travelers on their journey. This painting shows the resplendently attired bodhisattva in three-quarter view, seated on a rocky outcropping above the waves. At the top is a diminutive moon, in which a hare pounds the elixir of immortality. At the bodhisattva’s feet, the dragon king leads a group of elegantly dressed miniature figures; behind them follow sea monsters bearing precious gifts. The boy pilgrim Sudhana (Korean: Seonjae dongja) stands at the lower right; his encounter with this deity, as recounted in the Avatamsaka (Flower Adornment) Sutra, provides the textual source for the scroll. The delicate and splendid gold-painted design on the robes of the deities is a noteworthy trademark of Goryeo Buddhist painting. Another is that the pigments were applied to both the back and front of the semitransparent silk, intensifying their hues and luminosity, though some have faded over time due to light exposure.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art