Xi’an Xingqing Palace: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

The statue was discovered at the ruins of Jinglongchi in Xi’an where the former Xingqing Palace was located. The Bodhisattva sits in half lotus position. The head tilts to one side with the hair swept into a topknot behind a headdress wtih a seated Buddha. The three lines of a great person are visible on neck. The beaded ornaments and stoles swathe the torso and continue down over the skirt. The hands support a lotus bud between them.
The throne is of some complexity and continues the lotus theme, featuring a many-petaled blossom beneath ornately carved tendrils growing from a reversed lotus. This rests on a circular base inset with panels depicting heavenly musicians.