Horyuji Temple: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

JAPAN, Nara, Ikoma; Asuka period

Although this statue is said to be an attendant of the Amitabha Buddha in Horyuji Temple’s Golden Hall, it is an independent work. It is now housed in the temple’s Great Treasure Hall. The whole statue has been cast as one piece. It represents the finest gilt bronze casting from the Asuka period (538–645) and is listed as an Important Cultural Property.
The Bodhisattva wears a crown fronted with a seated figure of Amitabha. Long ribbons trail down from its palm-frond side-pieces. The hair behind is dressed in a frond pattern too, with stray locks trailing over the shoulders. The facial features are full and well proportioned. The right hand holds a vase and the left hand holds a pearl of wisdom between the thumb and middle finger. Jewelry secured by chrysanthemum rosettes falls down the body and over the double lotus pedestal on which the figure stands. The rosettes are overlapped by the stole that loops down from the shoulders and also falls over the pedestal, as does the rippling skirt. Seen from the side, the disproportionate head and the pelvis are slightly thrust forward, creating an elegantly sinuous line.