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Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Late 13th-early 14th century

Nepal

Gilt copper alloy

H. 17 x W. 7 x D. 4 in. (43.2 x 17.8 x 10.2 cm)

Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.51

Provenance

John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY; acquired from William H. Wolff., Inc., New York, NY, November 1967.

The Asia Society, New York, NY, bequest of John D. Rockefeller 3rd, New York, NY, 1979.

Licensing inquiries

Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, can be identified by the lotus he holds in his left hand and by the small seated image of the Buddha Amitabha, his spiritual progenitor, in his crown. This image represents a form of Avalokiteshvara that was extremely popular in Nepal. The Asia Society Collection has three bronze examples of standing Avalokiteshvara that were executed hundreds of years apart but look very much alike owing to textually prescribed forms of depiction. While the treatment of the body, clothing, and jewelry on this sculpture is similar to that of the earlier examples in the Collection, the greater rigidity of his pose indicates that this sculpture dates from a later period. A large circular loop coming out of the image's back indicates that this figure once had a bodyhalo (mandorla) surrounding it.