Four-Armed Avalokitesvara

INDIA

The Amitabha Buddha in the high headdress identifies the figure as Avalokitesvara. The hair is collected at the top and spills down the side of the headdress. Behind the head is an inner nimbus decorated with jeweled patterns. The nimbus is surrounded by a flower garland, beyond which is a separate rim with a raised pattern. The eyebrows curve in a bird-wing shape above long eyes and an urna can just be made out between them.
The broad-shouldered Bodhisattva stands in tribhanga posture with the left foot advanced, the body bare except for a short, tight skirt of patterned cloth secured with a jeweled belt. The figure also wears a collar necklace, armlets, and anklets. A narrow stole winds from the shoulders about the arms, while a beaded sacred thread hangs down the left shoulder and across the thighs. Only two of the original four arms remain. The style of sculpture is rare and may be the work of artisans from either Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh.