Padmapani Avalokitesvara

INDIA / PAKISTAN

Scholars believe this to be a transitional piece between the North Indian Gupta style (circa 320–550) and the Kashmiri Huvishkapura style of the 8th century.
The Bodhisattva wears a headdress fronted with a depiction of Amitabha Buddha, which identifies the figure as a form of Avalokitesvara. Other identifiers are the long-stemmed lotus carried in the left hand, from which this form gains the name of Padmapani (lotus bearer), and the rarer antelope skin worn over the shoulder. The hair is tied in braids and falls to the shoulder. The upper body remains bare apart from the sacred thread worn diagonally across the chest. Avalokitesvara sits in the posture of ease, with one leg drawn up on the throne and the other resting on the inverted lotus beneath it, causing the body to lean to one side. This approximates the contemplative position, where a finger of the right hand approaches the cheek as if to support it.