A GOLD-LACQUERED WOOD GYODO MASK OF KANNON
Lot 71 - AK0126

Japan, 18^th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

The gilt rounded face of the bodhisattva with serene expression, gently arched brows and heavy-lidded downcast eyes below, framed by the blue patinated hair and flanked by long pendulous earlobes.

HEIGHT 19.3 cm

Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, minor expected age cracks to the lacquer, and light surface scratches. Typical wear to the gilding.
Provenance: From the collection of Eskil Artberg. Eskil Artberg (1886-1974) was an important Swedish dealer of Asian art. Together with his brother John Artberg he founded the antique shop Japanska Magasinet in Stockholm in 1909. The brothers were actively involved in trading Japanese and Chinese works of art and contributed to early exhibitions by lending objects, including the 1911 exhibition of Japanese art at the Konstakademin. Initially, their shop specialized in Japanese works of art and high-quality Japanese paper, which was popular among Swedish artists in the early 20th century. However, as interest in Japanese art declined after World War II, Eskil shifted his focus toward Chinese works of art. Today, both the Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquites of Stockholm hold objects acquired from Japanska Magasinet.

Gyodo is a Japanese Buddhist ceremony where the procession is purely religious. Gyodo masks are the earliest known masks in Japan and were not worn by actors but by priests. As with Gigaku and Bugaku masks, the Gyodo masks were never signed but rather inscribed with the name of the mask, out of respect for the ceremony and for the sculptors of the original masks. During Gyodo ceremonies priests wearing masks enact the part of Amida Buddha (Sanskrit: Amitabha) and his disciples, welcoming the soul of dying believers into Paradise. The priests also carry a statue or Buddhist relics in a carriage or palanquin in a procession. Bodhisattva masks are particularly associated with the Raigo form of the Gyodo ceremony, in which the dead are welcomed into Paradise by the Amida Buddha.

The veneration of Kannon, a Bodhisattva of supreme compassion, began in Japan in the late 6th century, soon after Buddhism reached the country by way of Korea and China. Numerous historical figures are considered emanations of Kannon, including Prince Shotoku Taishi (Japan’s first great patron of Buddhism), Daruma (the founder of Zen Buddhism), and Chujo Hime (a Buddhist nun regarded as one of Japan’s greatest early embroidery artists). Originally male in form, Kannon is now often portrayed as female in China, Japan, and other East Asian countries.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related early Gyodo mask of Amida Buddha, in the Horniman Museum and Gardens, museum number 30.3.53/1. Compare a related Gyodo mask of a bodhisattva dated to the 15th century in the Victoria & Albert Museum, accession number A.9-1967.