No. 2371. CATALOGUE OF BUDDHIST ART— CASANOWICZ 315 



136. Amitabha {?). — Wood, lacquered and gilt. Seated in medi- 

 tation on a full-blown lotus throne which is supported by a lion cou- 

 chant on a rock which rests on a plinth, in a wooden shrine. The head 

 wears an elaborate crown, in a filigree work. On the ears are simi- 

 larly worked ornaments from which a necklace or chain hangs down 

 over the breast. Height of the figure, \2\ inches; of the shrine, 24 

 inches. Shei Sheiva, Japan. (Cat. No. 154293, U.S.N.M.) 



137. Tse-pa-med (Sanskrit Amitayus). — Bronze, chased and gilt. 

 Amitayus with the Tibetan Buddists is the active spiritual reflex of 

 Amitabha and is worshipped as the Buddha of long life (while Ami- 

 tabha is the Buddha of "boundless light"). The Chinese confuse 

 him with Amitabha. He is represented seated on a double lotus, 

 holding before him in his right hand a bowl (often a skull) filled with 

 water of life, which is one of the eight luck-compelling symbols of 

 ancient India, the left hand rests with upturned palm in his lap under 

 the right. The head is painted in blue. 11 Height, 8 inches. Dolon 

 Nor, Tibet. (Cat. No. 130400, U.S.N.M.) 



138. Kuan-Yin. — Porcelain, seated on a lotus around which is 

 coiled a dragon; the right hand holds a child, the left rests on her knee, 

 and on the sides are a male and female suppliant. Kuan- Yin, in 

 Japan, Kuannon, her full name being Kuan-Shai-Yin, signifying, 

 " a being who hears or perceives the cries of man," is in both countries 

 the goddess of mercy and the female transformation of Avalokitesvara 

 ("the one who looks down from above," namely, upon suffering hu- 

 manity with compassion), the emanation or contemplation (dhyani) 

 Bodhisattva of Amitabha, of whom Gautama Buddha was the 

 earthlv embodiment. Avalokitesvara has, therefore, charge of the 

 world until Gautama's successor, the next Buddha in the person of 

 Maitreya appears. Kuan- Yin is bodily healer as well as conveyor of 

 the souls to the Paradise of Amitabha in the "bark of salvation." 

 Seven cases of distress are generally specified in which she is ready to 

 extend her hand of mercy: Dangers caused by the sword; fetters or 

 chains; fire; water; demons; goblins; and an enemy. Sometimes 

 danger by storm is added, to make four couples complete. As child 

 bestowing, she is represented carrying a male infant in her arms and is 

 invoked by women desiring offspring. Her worship is most widely 

 extended in China and Japan. Height, Sh inches. Foochow, China. 

 (Plate 60, Cat. No. 216026, U.S.N.M.) Gift of Gen. G. W. Bailey. 



139. Kuannon. — Wood painted and decorated. Standing on a blue 

 base, holding an infant in the left hand. Face, hands, bosom, and 



11 "Copper is found both native and in the form of pyrites in Tibet, where it is wrought with uncommon 

 perfection. Several localities are well known for their famous founderies, which supply the whole of the 

 Buddhist east with statuettes of divinities. Lhasa has a special reputation for small figures in gilt copper, 

 which are esteemed the more the smaller they are. The statuettes made by the monks and craftsmen of 

 Tashilumppo are equally esteemed. Most of the bronze statuettes come from the workshops of the Tsang 

 and Khams Provinces. The bronzes from the region last named are famous for the perfection of their exe- 

 cution in details and their wonderful patina." — Wincent A. Smith, A History of Fine Arts in India and 

 Ceylon, Oxford, 1911, p. 198. 



