Gentle, calm, benign—he is a divinity of mercy and compassion, bodhisattava Avalokitesvara or Guanyin. He was carved for a temple during one of the most creative epochs of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, around 1100 to 1200, and expresses the new humanism of the day. Splendidly attired and seated in the cross-legged “lotus” position suggesting tranquility and balance of thought, he beams the bliss of near-enlightenment.
Compared to the simplicity of many Buddha carvings, this carving of a bodhisattava—someone moving toward enlightenment, not quite a Buddha—is much more richly adorned with jewels and thick strands of beaded medallions, coral, and polished gemstones.
The statue is constructed of several removable wooden sections.
Time has taken a toll, wearing away much of the fine detail. But in several sections of the robes, you can still see the textile patterns created with gold leaf.
The bodhisattava touches his thumbs to his middle fingers, a gesture perhaps suggesting discourse or argumentation. In any case, it’s not usually found in depictions of bodhisattavas.
Guanyin’s peaceful gaze is inlaid with rock crystal, the clearest form of quartz.
For centuries in China, Guanyin was depicted as a female goddess. But here the bodhisattva is depicted as a male—note the painted mustache—in the manner of an early iconographic tradition from India.