Jakabffy Imre szerk.: Az Iparművészeti Múzeum Évkönyvei 13. (Budapest, 1971)

HOPP FERENC MÚZEUM - MUSÉE FERENC HOPP - Horváth, Tibor: Notes to the Iconography of the White-robed Kannon

of silk. In China during the A iian period the same sort of silk was used for ink paintings. In the ease of these paintings which were most probably made in the same studio, we may suppose that they are not Japanese. The most likely place of origin is China. It, is naturally much more difficult lo give a more exact place of origin in China, but first and foremost we must consider the temples of Ning-po and the neighbouring P'u t'o-shan. or rather the artists or workshops connected to the temples as possibilities. These

1 pictures probably dale back to ihe Yuan period or to the beginning of the Ming period, thai is. between I

300 and 1420. Regarding the question of quality, I think there are two possible alternatives: I. The pictures are either the product of a workshop, or 2. they are a sel of copies. Basically these two alternatives are very similar when talking about ink paintings. Real differentiation would only be possible if the copy was made in a different region of the country or in another country. But painting in the workshop involved the copying of the work of early masters anyway, not lo mention the exemplary nature of the iconographical models. In the case of these Kannon pictures we must also accept the possibility that the copying of the Chinese Kuan-yin series was carried out in Korea. Sliubiin. the great master of the early period of Japanese ink paintings, is known to have gone on a study-lour to Korea in 1423—1424. About ibis time a Korean ink painter called Sumun (in Japanese Shubun) came and settled in Japan

1-. On the basis of these two items of information, wo can conclude that a wide connection developed in the arts of Korea in the Yin Dinasty and Japan In the Muromachi period. There is also evidence that Chinese ink paintings reached Japan via Korea. Although we must not rule out the possibility that the Kannon pictures in question were painted as copies in Korea, it is more likely that they are Chinese in origin and were produced in a workshop specialized for turning out such paintings in series. From an iconographical point of view il was very interesting to compare the above Kencho-ji set with the drawings in the Butsuzo Zukan or the Kannon no shirube. Whereas the iconographical classifications show 11 of the 33 pictures of Kannon in a standing position, only 7 of the Kencho-ji pictures depict Kannon standing. Among the 7 pictures there is one of Kannon standing on the back of a turtle and another with him on the back off a monster with an elephant's trunk, both of which are missing from the iconographical handbooks. Uniformity can be established in only two cases: in the Ichiyo (except for the difference in the sitting-standing position) and in the case of Fuhi-Kannon. The proportion of Kannon depicted in sitting positions is about the same. Following the serial numbers of the iconographical handbook various identical or similar features have been found. They are as follows: 1. Yoryu (Weeping Willow Kannon). In the Kencho-ji pictures Kannon is sitting with his left leg pulled up (instead of dhyana-sana) and the willow tree branch is in his left hand. On the right of Kannon, near the edge of the painting, a big waterfall is visible. 2. Ryuzu Kannon (Kannon of the Dragon). In four of the Kencho-ji pictures the head of a dragon can be seen in the lower right or left corner. But there is not a single picture among these or the others in the series that depicts Kannon sitting on j2 1 am grateful to György Kovács for his kind assistance in reading the Korean characters.