TANG DYNASTY (AD 618-907)

In sanskrit, Avalokiteshvara means 'the lord who looks upon the world with compassion', and can be identified by the small figure of Amitabha Buddha that centers the crown or headdress. Avalokiteshvara can also be identified by the willow branch, 'holy water' bottle, and sometimes a lotus that are held in the hands. In China, Avalokiteshvara is referred to as Guanyin, the goddess of Compassion.

The swirling scarves and graceful stance of this bodhisattva are reflective of the 'high Tang' style of other gilt-bronze, stone and painted images of 8th century date. Another gilt-bronze figure of a bodhisattva, identified as the Padmapani manifestation of Avalokiteshvara because of the lotus stem held in the right hand, also holds a kamandalu in the pendent left hand, and is illustrated by W. Zwalf, Buddhism: Art and Faith, British Museum, 1985, p. 203, no. 291. See, also, the similar figure holding a willow branch and a kamandalu in the collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, illustrated in Comprehensive Illustrated Catalogue of Chinese Buddhist Statues in Overseas Collections, vol. 5, Beijing, 2005, pl. 940, and the figure sold in Treasures of the Noble Path: Early Buddhist Art from Japanese Collections; Christie’s New York, 14 September 2017, lot 830.