The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Seated in the pose of “royal ease,” this deity is known as the “Water-Moon Guanyin” (Shuiyue Guanyin). He was thought to reside on an isolated isle named Potalaka in the mythical South Sea, where he sat and contemplated the moon’s reflection in the water. The reflection refers to the illusory and temporal nature of all phenomena in the human world.

The finest sculptural works of the Song dynasty were carved out of wood and covered with gesso, pigments, and gold. Here, Avalokiteshvara is dressed as an Indian prince in a fluid garment with crossed sashes, scarves, and a necklace on his bare chest. He rests one hand on his knee and lifts the other in a gift-granting gesture. Showing a confident calmness, this deity fluidly presents his mercy over the suffering of humans and efficaciously consoles the souls of his devotees.

This statue may once have sat on a rocky base in the altar of a monastery, similar to the one in the photo. Many Chinese Buddhist monasteries of the eleventh century contained richly illustrated wall paintings and painted statues. The integration of architecture, wall painting, and sculpture into the visual and ceremonial programs of monasteries characterized a new height of Buddhist art in middle-period China.