Kwannon in Gilded Bronze, Japan Muromachi 16th century

The deity is represented standing, draped in a long robe with angular folds. The statue was built in several parts, cast separately, in bronze, with lost wax, then assembled by riveting and welding. We can see a rivet on a photo. This technique was used during the period of medieval Japan, particularly in the Kamakura period. The bare parts of the deity were gilded with mercury, this gilding of a good thickness has resisted the wear of time well.
The crown is missing.
Old Japanese sculptures are mainly made of wood, those in bronze are extremely rare, even more so if they are gilded.
We believe that this sculpture dates from the Muromachi period, i.e. the 15th-16th century, for several reasons, first the style of the dress with angular folds that we find on statues from the 15th century, however rare examples also exist at the beginning of the Edo period. We also have the gilding which is not covered with lacquer, a late process making the orange gilding practically unwearable, as was practiced in the Edo period, but this is not absolute proof either, likewise the medieval technique of casting in several parts could have been achieved later. On the other hand, the simplicity of the sculpture, the sobriety of the details, the discreet power which emerges from it announces an austere period, we are far from the Buddhas of ostentatious elegance of the sumptuous Edo period. The Muromachi period is a period of incessant civil wars, austerity is de rigueur. Finally the god has short legs and we can guess he is stocky under his robe, I would even say ready for combat, which is never the case in the Edo period where the divinities are slender and feminine. The artist did not live during a prosperous and quiet period.
Height: about 37cm.