Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

This Bodhisattva has features typical of wooden sculptures from ancient Jinnan in Shanxi. The figure wears a headdress with an image of Amitabha. The head is turned to the left side. The main emphasis of the sculpture is on the body’s determined movement, which is emphasized by the left arm’s downward sweep. The bare upper body has a decorative chest ornament, while a stole drapes the shoulders and wraps around the arms. A long skirt is knotted at the waist and ripples laterally to the ankles. The Bodhisattva stands with bare feet at different angles on a lotus pedestal. This is one of the few Chinese sculptures with an inscribed date, in this case 1282. A covered hollow in the back contains some colorful silk fragments and the seeds of five grains.