Liurong Temple Avalokitesvara Hall: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA, Guangdong, Guangzhou; Qing dynasty

The statue is enshrined within the Avalokitesvara Hall at Liurong Temple. Avalokitesvara sits in full lotus position on a double lotus throne with hands in the dhyana (meditation) mudra. A seated Amitabha image fronts the headdress, which is covered in a shawl. The head gazes down benignly and the neck has the three lines of a great person. The Bodhisattva wears a tight round-necked robe that covers both shoulders, the folds of which are carefully delineated as they ripple down the body and arms and over the legs. Behind is a colored screen depicting heavenly musicians playing musical instruments and heavenly dancers dancing among clouds with their stoles strewn about them and adding movement to the otherwise static setting.