Standing bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Bronze Sculpture from the Dali Kingdom of Yunnan

The Dali kingdom was ruled from 937 by the Duan family in Yunnan in southwestern China. Having been resistant to Chinese expansion during the Tang and Song dynasties, Yunnan was not incorporated into China until the Duan clan was defeated by the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty in 1253. The Dali capital was located on one end of the major trade route between China and Southeast Asia popularly known as the Burma Road. The majority of its residents were predominately Buddhist and not ethnically Han people. The bronze sculptures in this case are examples of Buddhist art produced during this time. The iconography represents a combination of Chinese, Southeast Asian, and indigenous styles unique to this area; notable examples are figures of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, also known as Acuoye Guanyin in Chinese.

While this piece is clearly related to other examples from the Dali kingdom, it has different body proportions, a more rounded face, and heavier jewelry. This style suggests that the object postdates the conquest of the Dali kingdom by the Mongols in 1253.