Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA; Ming dynasty

The Bodhisattva is seated in a variation of the relaxation posture upon a rocky outcrop. A vase is placed on the rocks on one side while a flowering plant is on the other side. Each of the components was cast separately and combined to make this composition. The androgynous figure wears an ornate headdress with an image of a Buddha and this, taken in conjunction with the attributes present and the position of the figure, identifies it as Avalokitesvara. Iconographically, the form of the statue derives from the Avatamsaka Sutra but is typically Ming in style. A parrot is depicted on the base as a reference to the Ming dynasty Story of the Filial Parrot that followed the Bodhisattva to the South Sea to practice Buddhism.