CATALOGUE 2007
Early 15th Century or possibly earlier
Height: 40.8cm
The large bronze head is detached above the chest, revealing parts of his floral hem. He has a ruyi-shaped crown and a serene, half-opened downcast eyes looking inward as if in meditation as the eyebrows continue inward to form the shape of the nose.
The serene moon-shaped eyes and the rounded features stylistically resemble the wooden Guanyin sculptures from the Song Dynasty and the bald head and ruyi-shaped crown are depicted in the Yuan and Ming Dynasty as a representation of both Guanyin and Manjushri, but with the missing attributes and mudras, it would be difficult to confirm the deity this head represents.
Similar Examples
A wooden example of Guanyin with a similar serene expression and downcast eyes dated to the Song dynasty ix in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum and published in Hai-Wai Yi-Chen: Chinese Art in Overseas Collections – Buddhist Sculpture II, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1990, p. 156, Catalogue No. 150
An example of a gilr-bronze Bodhissatva Manjushri with a ruyi-shaped crown dated to 13th century Song dynasty was published in The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom: Special Exhibition Catalogue of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Collection at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, p. 199, Catalogue No. 103
