.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Avalokiteshvara, the "Lord who looks upon the World," is the bodhisattva of compassion, and one of the principle deities in Mahayana Buddhism. Although he has attained enlightenment like the Buddha, the bodhisattva forgoes his escape from the suffering of rebirth to act as a guide to all living beings until they themselves have achieved nirvana. Worshipped in many guises, here he is depicted as Padmapani, the "holder of the lotus." Like the lotus, which rises from its murky bed below the water to blossom in the pristine air, Padmapani has detached himself from the grounding pain and impurities of the material world and is enlightened in body, speech, and mind.
Worshipped in Nepal from at least the mid-6th century, Avalokiteshvara was one of the most popular Buddhist deities in the Kathmandu Valley, his worship rivaling that of the Buddha himself. Demand for images of this auspicious bodhisattva was therefore staggering and from an early period, craftsmen throughout the valley were executing works in wood, stone, paint, and bronze. A distinct Newari style of representation emerged from this locus of fervent worship, influenced initially by the Gupta dynasty and later, as seen in this work, the Pala dynasty of Northeastern India. The deity is nearly always depicted standing, in contrast to the Indian tradition of showing him seated. The style is further characterized by the lithe form of the body and the swaying hips, with the head titled to the side, resulting in a graceful curvilinear form. The dhoti billows in voluminous folds between the legs and is secured at the waist with a pendant sash, while the sacred thread is elegantly beaded. For a similar bronze representation of Padmapani in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, see P. Pal, The Arts of Nepal, vol. I, 1974, fig. 195.
Worshipped in Nepal from at least the mid-6th century, Avalokiteshvara was one of the most popular Buddhist deities in the Kathmandu Valley, his worship rivaling that of the Buddha himself. Demand for images of this auspicious bodhisattva was therefore staggering and from an early period, craftsmen throughout the valley were executing works in wood, stone, paint, and bronze. A distinct Newari style of representation emerged from this locus of fervent worship, influenced initially by the Gupta dynasty and later, as seen in this work, the Pala dynasty of Northeastern India. The deity is nearly always depicted standing, in contrast to the Indian tradition of showing him seated. The style is further characterized by the lithe form of the body and the swaying hips, with the head titled to the side, resulting in a graceful curvilinear form. The dhoti billows in voluminous folds between the legs and is secured at the waist with a pendant sash, while the sacred thread is elegantly beaded. For a similar bronze representation of Padmapani in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, see P. Pal, The Arts of Nepal, vol. I, 1974, fig. 195.