Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Compassion, China, 18th century, gold ink on indigo-dyed paper mounted as a hanging scroll, image 25″x16 1/8″, scroll 72×23″; Scripps College, Claremont, CA, Gift of Dr. William Bacon Pettus, 0322
BuddhistDoor Global published an article by Meher McArthur, the Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler curator of academic programs and collections, titled “Guanyin and the Filial Parrot: An Emperor’s Golden Offering.” The article explores representations of the Buddhist bodhisattva, called Guanyin, in Chinese art. “The deity has been painted onto paper, on silk, and temple walls, and has been sculpted in wood, bamboo, bronze, stone, jade, and even porcelain,” explains MacArthur, who analyzes several examples from Scripps’ own collection. MacArthur cites Scripps Professor of Art History Bruce Coats, who notes that artworks commissioned by the eighteenth century Chinese Qianlong Emperor reflect Confucian and Buddhist values as well as filial devotion.