The Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteshvara)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, is one of the most popular and frequently depicted deities in Japanese Buddhism. Kannon grants deliverance from suffering to anyone who calls upon his name. Here he wears flowing robes draped with sashes. The sculpture’s surface was originally decorated with layers of lacquer, pigments, and likely gold leaf. Today its cypress wood core is completely revealed.

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