Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in Water Moon Form (Shuiyue Guanyin)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This powerful figure belongs to a small group of wooden sculptures that can be securely dated, owing to an inscription that also provides rare information regarding its production and intended use. The inscription appears on the interior surface of a removable panel in the figure’s back that gives access to a chamber that once contained consecratory material. It states that the sculpture was carved in 1385 under the direction of a certain Xin Zhongwen, who, together with members of Dongan village, commissioned the piece. It also names two artists—Feng Xiaozhong, “Woodcarver-in-Attendance,” and his son—and explains that the sculpture was created for a temple and to serve as a guardian of a road.

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