Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Avalokitesvara

KOREA; Joseon dynasty

According to the inscription written in gold at the bottom, this picture was painted by the monk Bowun in 1532 on behalf of the families of Lee, Seok, and Choi. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits in full lotus position and is surrounded by a large mandorla. The Bodhisattva has eleven heads, including one on each side of the central face and eight others in two rows. Above the top head, there is a large seated Buddha. The 42 hands of the Bodhisattva form mudras or hold objects including a moon disc, Dharma wheel, lotus, and scripture. Each hand has an eye in the middle of the palm to represent the thousand eyes of Avalokitesvara. Sudhana stands in the lower left corner, looking up at the Bodhisattva and joining his palms in reverence. Small golden flowers are painted in the upper register. The picture is a rare and important example of Vajrayana Buddhist art from the Joseon dynasty.