A gilt-bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara, Tang dynasty

Old French Private Collection, by repute.

This large and sensitively cast figure depicts the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara wearing an elaborate long trailing shawl and a dhoti tied with a sash. In this manifestation, Avalokitesvara, who is credited with the creation of all things animate and is believed to impersonate the power of creation, is depicted majestically standing to display his power and strength. The bodhisattva is dressed like a prince, adorned with opulent jewellery that serves also to denote his worldliness, as has vowed to remain in the world until all sentient beings have achieved enlightenment.

The sculpture embodies the style of the high Tang period, with its sensitive treatment of the natural curves and flow of the body. This representational mode was influenced by Indian art, and the characteristics include a rounded face, well-modelled cheeks, a subtly sensuous silhouette, and opulent jewellery.

A closely related but slightly larger figure was included in the exhibition The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom: Special ExhibitionCatalogue of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection at the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, cat. no. 81. For other similar examples, see a figure illustrated in Saburo Matsubara, Chinese Buddhist Sculpture: A Study Based on Bronze and Stone Statues other than from Cave Temples, Tokyo, 1966, pp.667-8, and an example illustrated in Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture, Beijing, 2002, pp 30-2.