Artist unknown
King Gao's Avalokitesvara Sutra
INV-2043
Artist unknownMing dynasty (1368-1644), dedication dated 1590
King Gao's Avalokitesvara Sutra
Artist unknown
book
Date
Ming dynasty (1368-1644), dedication dated 1590
Medium
Woodblock-printed book; ink on paper
Dimensions
35 × 12 cm (13 3/4 × 4 11/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection
King Gao’s Avalokiteśvara Sutra is an indigenous Chinese scripture from the Liang dynasty (502–57). It is said that this scripture comes from a prisoner who was spared from execution by chanting a sutra that had been transmitted to him in a dream. King Gao learned of this miraculous event, pardoned the prisoner, and ordered the sutra to be copied and spread throughout the world. Empress Dowager Cisheng (1545–1614) of the Ming dynasty commissioned this rare edition with a richly illustrated story in 1590.
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