ART WIKI
Kannon Bosatsu, Japan, 12th/14th century

Japan

Kannon Bosatsu

12th/14th century · Sculpture

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Kannon Bosatsu” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked
In this state since
Source
The museum
On the mapMuseum page

About the sculpture

This figure of Kannon, the bodhisattva of divine mercy and compassion, was originally part of an ensemble of three statues depicting the Welcoming Descent (raigo), in which the Amida Buddha and his attendants descend from the Western Paradise to welcome newly deceased souls. Here Kannon leans forward and extends a lotus pedestal (now lost), on which a soul would be carried into paradise. The idea of raigo was incredibly reassuring to Buddhist devotees, who, when close to death, used sculptures and painted images to imagine this journey to peace.

Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0

Details

Accession number
1934.489

What it shows

BuddhismReligion

In the catalog

SculptureWoodJapanese (culture or style)Japan

Sources

On view at Art Institute of Chicago

Museum page
The Bedroom, Vincent van Gogh, 1889

Vincent van Gogh

The Bedroom, 1889

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884, Georges Seurat, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

Georges Seurat

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, 1884–86, border added 1888–89

Paris Street; Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte, 1877

Gustave Caillebotte

Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877

Two Sisters (On the Terrace), Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Two Sisters (On the Terrace), 1881

The Basket of Apples, Paul Cézanne, c. 1893

Paul Cézanne

The Basket of Apples, c. 1893

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), Claude Monet, 1890–91

Claude Monet

Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890–91

American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930

Grant Wood

American Gothic, 1930

Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942

Edward Hopper

Nighthawks, 1942

On the same theme · Buddhism

All works on the theme
Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo), ca. 1319

Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo), ca. 1319

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Seated bodhisattva (left attendant of a triad), ca. mid-17th century

Seated bodhisattva (left attendant of a triad), ca. mid-17th century

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kashyapa, dated 1700

Kashyapa, dated 1700

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Buddha Shakyamuni, 12th century

Buddha Shakyamuni, 12th century

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Stele commissioned by members of a devotional society, dated 528

Stele commissioned by members of a devotional society, dated 528

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Stele Commissioned by Helian Ziyue (赫蓮子悅) and a Devotional Society of Five Hundred Individuals, dated 533–43

Stele Commissioned by Helian Ziyue (赫蓮子悅) and a Devotional Society of Five Hundred Individuals, dated 533–43

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Legends of the Yūzū Nembutsu Sect, Artist unknown, Kamakura period (1185–1333), 14th century

Artist unknown

Legends of the Yūzū Nembutsu Sect, Kamakura period (1185–1333), 14th century

Not on view · Art Institute of Chicago

Seated Bodhisattva, Japan, 8th century

Japan

Seated Bodhisattva, 8th century

Art Institute of Chicago