Xi’an: Standing Bodhisattva

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Northern Zhou dynasty

The inscription found on the base of the statue states that the statue was commissioned by a group of 30 villagers from Chengguo in 570. Another inscription adds that it was repaired eleven years later. It is speculated that the majestic figure may have been one of the attendant Bodhisattvas in a Buddha triad. The style shows a transition away from the Sui dynasty (581–618) towards the Tang dynasty (618–907).
The figure stands on a double lotus pedestal with two lions crouched on either side. A stole overhangs the arms and the remaining left hand supports one end of the stole as it trails to the ground. The Bodhisattva’s hair is in an elaborate topknot from which a cloth hangs down the back of the neck. There is a long and intricate body ornament around the neck that falls to a central medallion and then subdivides into a series of loops over the skirt below.