Tashilhunpo Monastery Maitreya Hall: Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva

CHINA, Tibet, Shigatse

The Bodhisattva wears a many-leaved, florally decorated crown and circular earrings that hang to the shoulders. The figure stands in tribhanga posture, so the head bends slightly forward and to one side. The colorful textile hung across the chest hides some of the jewelry, which are later devotional offerings. The right hand hangs beside the figure, while the left is raised with bent fingers holidng the now broken stem of the gilded lotus, which blossoms at shoulder level.
The statue is said to be molded personally by Gendun Drup, the First Dalai Lama. Analysis suggests that the work may be from the same period as the statues in Palcho Monastery, although its style is more characteristic of early works from U-Tsang in Tibet.