Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara
Ink and color on silk
Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara
CHINA; Southern Song dynasty
This picture of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is thought to have been painted by a monastic. It was brought to Japan from China, and was listed as an Important Cultural Property 1914. Avalokitesvara, surrounded by a nimbus and a lotus shaped mandorla, has 15 heads divided into six tiers. The central face has a third eye and a small mustache. The 42 hands are extended symmetrically at the sides of the body, each holding a Dharma instrument or forming a mudra. The feet rest on lotus pedestals supported by clouds. Avalokitesvara has a kind and amiable expression. The lack of the stern look seen in Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) portrayals of the Bodhisattva suggests that this image was painted during the Southern Song dynasty.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z, page 904.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting P-Z},
pages = 904,
title = {{Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara}},
volume = 16,
year = {2016}}