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SOUTH ASIAN OBJECTS FROM THE COLLECTION
INDIA
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
Sculpture from North India, 5th-7th Centuries
Jain sculpture
Sculpture of the Pala Period
Stone Sculpture from Hindu Temples
Sculptures from South India, 8th-9th Centuries
Bronze Sculpture of the Chola Period
Art for the Mughal and Rajput Courts
Hindu Temple Hangings
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
NEPAL
Buddhist Painting from India, Nepal, and Tibet
Sculpture from Nepal
PAKISTAN
Sculpture from the Kushan Period
SRI LANKA
Two Bodhisattvas from Sri Lanka
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
India, Bihar; late 7th - early 8th century
Schist
H. 77 in. (195.6 cm)
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art
1979.010
This monumental image of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, can be identified by the small image of the seated Amitabha Buddha in his headdress. Amitabha is the head of Avalokiteshvara's spiritual family and his representation in Avalokiteshvara's headdress is one of the most constant features in the imagery of this bodhisattva. The stem that Avalokiteshvara holds in his left hand once supported a lotus, an attribute that identifies this form of the deity as the Lotus Bearer (Padmapani), one of the most common and simplest forms of Avalokiteshvara. The small female attendant standing beside him may represent the donor of the image.
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