Avalokiteshvara

This gracious image of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, closely adheres to the Pala tradition of Indian Buddhist sculpture. The well-proportioned, suavely-modeled figure stands gracefully, reflecting the full, perfect body of a youth. Heavy, carefully-chiseled ornaments stand out against the smooth, languorous form. His head supports a heavy crown, and his face has been painted in with cold gold paste, a common practice in Tibet. Typically, a patron might offer to have the faces of all the images in a monastery painted, and it is not unusual to find images with two or more layers of polychrome on the face.

Avalokiteshvara's bow-shaped, slanted eyebrows, curved and rather open eyes, sharp nose, and full mouth with pouting underlip are typical of Pala sculptural style. The bodhisattva holds a curving lotus stalk, with flowers in bud, fully open, and already closed (symbolizing his manifesting the compassion of the Buddhas of past, present, and future). A long jewel chain is captivatingly looped over his belt and hip sash. Both objects elegantly echo the sinuous curves of the figure's gentle S-shape (tribhanga) pose. Rich locks of blue-colored hair are piled on his head (topped by a lotus bud) and flow over his shoulders in luxurious curls.

The style of this image relates to Indian Pala images of the 10th to early 12th centuries, especially those from the Nalanda area. The Pala tradition had a marked influence on early Tibetan art, especially in the central regions. Old photographs taken by Giuseppe Tucci and others, which show Pala as well as Kashmiri images on Tibetan temple altars, suggest that many sculptures were imported from India in the early period. This particular image of Avalokiteshvara, which appears to be neither Indian or Nepalese, is one of the finest in the Pala tradition, probably made in Tibet and closely modeled after Indian prototypes.