Becoming Guanyin by Yuhang Li

Author:Yuhang Li
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ART019010, Art/Asian/Chinese, ART015000, Art/History/General
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2020-02-17T16:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 4.13 Anonymous, Nine-lotus Bodhisattva, 1593. Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk. The collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art.

FIGURE 4.14 Empress Dowager Xiaochun was honored as Bodhisattva with Superior Wisdom (Shangzhi pusa 上智菩薩), Changchun temple, Beijing. Photograph of an old painting. Source: After Beiping shizhengfu mishuchu, ed., Jiudu wenwu lue (1935), 16, pl. 34.

Empress Xiaoduan and Empress Dowager Xiaojing’s Posthumous Hair Accessories

Before looking at Empress Dowager Xiaojing’s accessories in detail, a glimpse at those belonging to Emperor Wanli’s principle wife, Empress Xiaoduan 孝端 (1565–1620) will help us understand the preciseness of religious messages presented in Xiaojing’s items. On the forefront and sides of Xiaoduan’s wig are five almost identical white jade hairpins with the character fo 佛 (Buddha) arranged atop a lotus base. The hairpins were inserted along the crown of the head (figure 4.15). The position of these five hairpins and the five fo 佛 characters echo loosely to the five-Buddha crown that is associated with tantric Buddhist practices and esoteric Buddhist death rituals. The central hairpin is a large shou 壽 character (longevity) carved in white jade. The only hairpin with a Buddha image on Xiaoduan’s head shows a half-length Buddha set in a piece with large rubies (figure 4.16). The configuration of the Buddha’s ruby body is not clearly defined, which indicates that the accuracy of the iconography was not the main concern. Like the other hairpins, this piece is impressive for its pricey materials rather than its subject. The ambiguity around iconography is echoed by the plurality of subjects on Xiaoduan’s hairpins, which feature symbols of eternity from different religious traditions. The assemblage was intended to secure Xiaoduan’s longevity from various perspectives.

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