The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara

Object Details

• Artist

  Attributed to Mati

• Description

  The sculpture depicts a standing figure [standing in thrice-bent "tribhanga" posture, atop a small, flat, oval base. The right forearm of the figure is raised with the palm of the hand facing forward. The left arm is down at the figure's side and holds a stem that rises up to a large flower that sits above the left shoulder. An ornate headdress with flowing scarves, and a band of flowers that run down one side of the body and up the other side, adorn the figure.

  Only the front of the sculpture is decorated; the back is plain. Chasing, inlay, and gilding were used to decorate the figure, but just traces of the gilding remain. The eyes are inlaid with gray metal and a black material. The back of the head is covered with blue paint. The skirt of the figure is decorated with chasing and the recessed design on the skirt is filled with black and red colored materials. Most of the surface is bare metal and is a light golden brown color.

• Label

  Early Buddhist doctrine emphasizes self-liberation with the Buddha as the exemplar. In contrast, later Buddhism emphasizes the salvation of all sentient creatures through the benevolent assistance of enlightened beings known as bodhisattvas. Tibetans regard the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara (literally, the Lord Who Looks Down from on High), as their supreme protector and seek his intercession through meditation, prayer and offerings. This graceful and majestic Avalokiteshvara holds prayer beads and a lotus blossom. His silvery eyes, pure copper lip and nipples, and red-and-black-patterned garb vividly enhance the dark gleam of the brass alloy. The sculpture was created for a Tibetan monastery and is attributed to Mati, an artist from Kashmir (located in present-day northwest India), then a renowned center of Buddhist teaching and visual culture.

• Provenance

  From 1960s

  Nitta Muneichi, Taiwan and Japan, from the 1960s [1]

  To 2001

  Rossi & Rossi, Ltd., London, to 2001

  From 2001

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Rossi & Rossi, Ltd. in 2001

  Notes:

  [1] While the publication of the Nitta catalog was not until 1987, Stan Czuma (in an unpublished paper) dates this object's entry into the collection to the 1960s (according to Curatorial Note 3, Debra Diamond, January 10, 2001, in the object record). See The Crucible of Compassion and Wisdom: Special Exhibition Catalog of the Buddhist Bronzes from the Nitta Group Collection at the National Palace Museum (Taipei: 1987).

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Body Image (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas (October 16, 2004 to January 3, 2016)

  Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure (October 18, 2003 to January 11, 2004)

  South Asian Sculpture (February 22, 2000 to June 18, 2003)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Nitta Muneichi

  Rossi & Rossi, Ltd.

• Origin

  Western Tibet

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Freer Gallery 02: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1100s, 1000s

• Name

  Rossi, Fabio, Muneichi, Nitta

• Place

  Tibet

• Topic

  Gilding, Prayer beads, South Asian and Himalayan Art, Art, Inlay (process), Sculpture, Avalokite?svara (Buddhist deity), Lotus, Chasing, Bodhisattva, Metal-work, Guanyin

• Culture

  Buddhists, Himalayan peoples, South Asians

• Object Type

  Sculpture

• On View

  Yes