Japan, Edo period, 1615–1868; silk, ink, and gold; 14 1/2 x 13 1/2 in.; The Newark Museum, Purchase 1909 George T. Rockwell Collection, 9.2313.
22. Page from the Illustrated Miracles of Kannon, Gold Inscribed Kannon Chapter of the Lotus Sutra
Guanyin Chapter from an Illustrated Lotus Sutra (Miaofa lianhua jing Guanshiyin pusa pumenpin)
1432; accordion–fold book; gold ink on indigo-dyed paper; palace copy; each page: 13 3/8 x 4 3/4 in.; full length: 13 3/8 x 542 3/8 in.; Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Alan Priest, 1926.46. Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.
The delightful elongation of Kannon’s arm is not a Japanese invention. In a much earlier Chinese copy of the Lotus Sutra, we see the long-armed Guanyin touching a devotee’s head, although the illustration is from a different episode of the sutra than the work exhibited here. MD