Kuan-yin Bestowing Children
Anonymous, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
Hanging scroll, ink on paper, 98.1 x 35.6 cm

          According to the Kuan-yin chapter of the "Lotus Sutra", if a female follower of Kuan-yin wishes to have a child, all she has to do is say the name of Kuan-yin and she will conceive. It was thus that the belief in Kuan-yin as a bestower of children emerged in China.

          This hanging scroll shows a lady holding a child. She has a willow branch in her right hand and a water cup in her left. Representing Kuan-yin as the bestower of children, she has very down-to-earth features and a visage that emanates mercy and compassion, much like that of a kind and loving mother.

          Her face, hair, hands, and feet were all done with fine strokes of light ink using a strong yet steady brush. Close examination of the drapery lines reveals that they are composed of tiny characters transcribed from the Kuan-yin chapter in the "Lotus Sutra" in regular script. The text starts from the left arm of Kuan-yin near the head of the child and continues character-for-character in fine elegant script, truly revealing the religious dedication of the artist.