Can it be that Kuan-yin is not a precursor to Seated but rather a copy of it, produced with less attention to detail and elegance because it was intended to serve the masses? While that is possible, one cannot completely discount either that, having been created during the same century (with little information to narrow down the exact year or even which half of the century), and with so many symbolic similarities as well as a similar pose, it is possible and even likely that Kuan-yin is an ancestor in the artistic style of Seated. Drawing conclusions about two works of art created in the course of the same century, with at minimum, similar ideals and societal influences, as represented in the symbolism and postures that comprise the similarities between Kuan-yin and Seated, is a complex and multi-faceted process. One cannot ignore, however, that these two pieces, juxtaposed beside one another, seem to form viable links in a chain following the course of artistic style and trends, connected one right after the other. The real benefit to comparing works within such a long period of time as was the rule of the Song Dynasty is that one can see the subtle and drastic changes alike, and identify them with relative ease because there are some elements which remain the same. By process of elimination, one can easily determine what those changes are and then compare them to extrapolate about the culture which created them, as art history methodology bids one to do. In the case of this study, it becomes possible to see sculptors (and the culture in which they worked) moving toward more lifelike represenation.

Annotated Bibliography

Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner's art through the ages: a global history. Enhanced 13th ed. Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. In this text, Gardner and Kleiner et al. present a survey of world art, from prehistoric art and onward. In this format, Song...

"Song Dynasty." Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. . Michaelson begins her article by presenting an overview of the Song Dynasty before delving into further detail of both the Northern Song Dynasty and Southern Song Dynasty. She pairs her discussion of artistic style with political history, providing a frame of reference for the development of her artistic analysis.
Period, Time. "Northern Song Dynasty (960A -- 1127) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | the Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: metmuseum.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. . This essay presents not only a cultural backdrop of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also where the art of that period fits in, both culturally and stylistically.

"Southern Song Dynasty (1127A -- 1279) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | the Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: metmuseum.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2011. . This essay presents not only a cultural backdrop of the Southern Song Dynasty, but also where the art of that period fits in, both culturally and stylistically.

Sullivan, Michael. The arts of China . 3rd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Print. In this text, Sullivan examines artwork of all media produced in China, as early as the Stone Age. Because his text discusses artwork in the context of the world in which and for which it was made, his observations allow for accurate and detailed extrapolations and associations. Furthermore, Sullivan's text permits for complete understanding of artistic styles and the relevance of stylistic traditions.