This remarkable Sino-Tibetan Buddhist piece represents the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, known to the Chinese as Guanyin. Avalokiteśvara is the principal attendant of the Amitabha Buddha, and supposedly contains the compassion of all the Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, some male and some female, of which the female Guanyin is the most popular. The origins of this figure are shrouded in mystery. Some Western scholars have suggested that Avalokiteśvara, like many other magical figures in Buddhism, originated in the Hindu tradition, in particular as Shiva or Vishnu. The cult of Avalokiteśvara was especially popular in Tibetan Buddhism, where the recitation of the Bodhisattva’s six-syllable mantra, oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ (‘praise to the jewel lotus’), is closely associated with personal devotion to Buddhist teachings.

This high-quality figure depicts the Bodhisattva reclining in the ‘royal ease’ pose, with one leg at rest, and the other raised, with a hand resting on his knee. He sits on a triangular throne with scrollwork legs, and draped in decorated cloth. His tall and sinuous figure, with soft musculature, is common of Indian sculpture, but his narrow eyes and flat nose show Chinese influence in his face. He has high arching eyebrows and a short curly moustache and beard. The moustache in particular associates him with the young Buddha. Avalokiteśvara is not usually represented with a moustache, but representations do exist with this feature (Matsuoka Museum of Art 108-0071; Gandhara, 3rd Century AD). Avalokiteśvara is identified by the small figure of the Buddha in his headdress, which takes the form of a leaf-shaped upright protruding from a small headband. His eyes are half-closed, in an attitude of serenity, and a small smile plays on his lips. The benign expression and elongated ears associate this figure with the Buddha. His hair is short, but with a very long strand behind each ear, which is decorated with curls as it falls over the shoulders. He looks down , in reference to his name Avalokiteśvara (‘one who looks down on the world’). He wears a long loincloth and drapery over his shoulders, which is clasped across his chest in an elaborate arrangement of decorative chains. The figure is in excellent condition, with only small areas where the gilt has been rubbed off.

Buddhism in Tibet saw something of a revival in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries AD, as the Chinese Qing Dynasty sought to secure their stranglehold on Tibet. As a result, the Qing Emperors sponsored the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, and exported it to other parts of their Empire. Sino-Tibetan artists latched on to this state sponsorship, producing a great many high-quality works both for the local Tibetan market, and for further afield. The popularity of Avalokiteśvara in Tibet ensured that he was a popular subject.