Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA; Northern Wei dynasty

The Bodhisattva wears a tall headdress. The robes fan down on either side in sharp folds, crossed by stoles that loop over the skirt. The figure’s right hand is raised in the abhaya (fearlessness) mudra. A lotus nimbus encircles the head while the aureole is framed with geometric patterns; both in turn are backed by a petal-shaped mandorla with flames about the rim. This arrangement is a conventional configuration already established by the early Northern Wei dynasty. The figure stands barefoot on an inverted lotus pedestal, which is supported by a four-legged square stand. An inscription on the stand states the statue was dedicated in 518 by Lu Bianzhi to pray for all those that had perished in a flood.