id: 145429
accession number: 1970.79
share license status: CC0
url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1970.79
updated: 2020-11-04 21:11:51.620000
Eleven-Headed Kannon (Jūichimen Kannon), 1200s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333). Hanging scroll; color and cut gold (kirikane) on silk; overall: 106.7 x 39.7 cm (42 x 15 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1970.79
title: Eleven-Headed Kannon (Jūichimen Kannon)
title in original language: 十一面観音菩薩像
series:
series in original language:
creation date: 1200s
creation date earliest: 1200
creation date latest: 1299
current location:
creditline: John L. Severance Fund
copyright:
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culture: Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333)
technique: hanging scroll; color and cut gold (kirikane) on silk
department: Japanese Art
collection: ASIAN - Hanging scroll
type: Painting
find spot:
catalogue raisonne:
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CREATORS
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measurements: Overall: 106.7 x 39.7 cm (42 x 15 5/8 in.)
state of the work:
edition of the work:
support materials:
inscriptions:
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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
title: Year in Review: 1970
opening date: 1971-02-10T05:00:00
Year in Review: 1970. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 10-March 7, 1971).
title: Restoration at Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties
opening date: 1997-05-22T00:00:00
Restoration at Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties. Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties (organizer) (May 22, 1997-April 28, 1998).
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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS
* Main Asian Rotation (Gallery 236). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 24, 2013-July 21, 2014).
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PROVENANCE
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fun fact:
digital description:
wall description:
The Eleven-Headed Kannon, a deity of mercy and compassion in the Buddhist pantheon, was introduced into Japan in the 600s. By the 700s it had gained in popularity among an increasing number of believers, a condition it enjoyed until the end of the Kamakura period. The modest size and high quality of the materials apparent in this work indicate its use as a private devotional image.
An earlier restoration of this painting included the use of an entire silk backing layer rather than silk patches with a paper backing. The tension that resulted between these two layers of silk, one old and the other recent, caused serious cracking to occur in the painting's surface. Moreover, the silk backing had been dyed a dark tone which did not enhance the appearance of the painting, although it did help hide damaged areas in the surface silk. Now two layers of backing paper support the painting, with its carefully fitted silk patches. These are toned slightly differently from the original surface values so that viewers can distinguish between the original and the modern restored areas. The original metal fittings have also been cleaned and reused. Other replacement fittings were deemed inappropriate for this early religious image and so new, specially designed ones are now in place.
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RELATED WORKS
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CITATIONS
Lee, Sherman E. "The Year in Review for 1970." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 58, no. 2 (1971): 22-71.
page number: Reproduced: p. 56
url: www.jstor.org/stable/25152361
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page number: Reproduced: p. 372
url: https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n392
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IMAGES
web: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1970.79/1970.79_web.jpg
print: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1970.79/1970.79_print.jpg
full: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1970.79/1970.79_full.tif