Simhanada Avalokitesvara

CHINA

The Bodhisattva is known as “the lion-voiced lord,” and is depicted seated in a variation of the relaxation posture on the back of a crouching lion. The right hand is in varada (wish-granting) mudra, while the left hand is at the waist holding a lotus stem that has broken off. The composition is mounted on an inverted lotus pedestal from which a separate bloom grows upward to support the overhanging foot. The statue was originally painted but only traces of pigment remain around the head. The figure’s eyes are inlaid, and the eyebrows are joined above the straight line of the nose. The hair is mounded behind a three-leaf crown, and there is jewelry on the body, as well as a beaded sacred thread across the chest. The overall design of the sculpture is similar to the Kashmir style instead of Pala statues of this figure from the same time.