Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA; Sui dynasty

The slender figure of the Bodhisattva stands upon a round pedestal supported by a lotus stem. The right arm is bent at the elbow and holds a vase while the left arm hangs down to grasp the end of a trailing stole. Long ribbons fall from either side of a regal headdress that is supplemented by the beaded jewelry worn over the upper body. More beads loop over the long skirt. Draped over the shoulders is a long stole that falls about the arms and drapes below the pedestal.
The Bodhisattva’s openwork nimbus is filled with plant motifs and surrounded by a peach-shaped rim of flames. Five small Buddhas are within the inner circle. The work is considered the companion of a statue of Samantabhadra in the National Museum of Tokyo.