Standing Bodhisattva

CHINA; Sui dynasty

The vividly worked Bodhisattva stands in a sinuous posture on a many-petaled lotus. The right hand grasps a corner of a trailing stole, while the other hand is raised and may once have held an identifying attribute. An elaborate headdress is fronted with a jewel and has double ribbons hanging from winged sidepieces. A long, beaded ornament studded with rosettes and medallions hangs from the neck almost to the feet. A number of stoles also loop across the body and arms, and fall downward over the pedestal. The features in the rounded face are simply formed with raised eyebrows that meet in a double curve, slit eyes and a triangular nose. The neck is elongated to demonstrate the three lines of a great person.