Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattvas

CHINA; Jin dynasty

These almost identical Bodhisattva figures were completed in 1195 in Hongdong, Pingyang (present day Linfen, Shanxi). Although they have been restored many times, the date of 1195 is well preserved in an inscription on the Avalokitesvara figure. Avalokitesvara wears a crown with a figure of Amitabha within an arched aureole, while Mahasthamaprapta wears a peacock crown with a vase on a lotus bloom at its center. Avalokitesvara has a stole draped across the shoulders that hangs to the ground on the left and a sash that partly conceals an elaborate golden necklace. A long red and brown skirt is tightened by a green belt trimmed with gold that hangs to the ground below the stole. The left arm is raised and handless; the right arm hangs naturally but some of the fingers are damaged. Mahasthamaprapta is similarly dressed except for the single strapped vest worn in place of a sash. The right arm is raised as if it once held a lotus; the left arm hangs at the figure’s side and is damaged beyond the wrist, over which the end of the stole hangs in a loop. The two Bodhisattvas have robust builds and have been restored in radiant colors.