Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA; Northern Zhou dynasty

The stele shows Avalokitesvara standing within a niche on a lotus pedestal, holding a lotus, and a scented bag. The Bodhisattva wears a headdress with ribbons hanging from each side as well as a thick collar necklace and a number of stoles that overlap the arms. A wide belt girdles the robe at the waist and the tie hangs over the skirt. Four similar-looking attendants wearing simplified robes flank Avalokitesvara. Shading the Bodhisattva is an ornamented, curtained canopy. A mountain censer with two kneeling figures on either side paying reverence is in the compartment at the base. An inscription on the back records that Wang Yongjian and his family members erected the stele on behalf of their parents of the past seven lives, wishing to alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings and in hope of their enlightenment.