Standing Bodhisattva

CHINA; Wu Zhou period

The Bodhisattva stands in the dynamic tribhanga posture with the head inclined to one side and slightly forward while the sway transfers the body’s weight to the left leg. The flower-ornamented hair is so detailed that each strand is visible, and the topknot is rolled upward in the shape of a snail-shell. The long line of the nose and eyebrows, balanced by an urna, frames the features. The upper body is left bare, except for a necklace and a string bead ornament that crosses at the stomach and hangs down to the knee. Stoles encircle the shoulders and loop down below the waist. Further stoles drape the damaged left arm and their ends are caught in the figure’s hanging right hand, creating another loop below the first. The Bodhisattva wears a long skirt, knotted about the waist and rippling downward to the double lotus pedestal on which the figure stands barefoot.