The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the form of the lotus bearer Padmapani

Avalokiteshvara, the Lord Who Looks Down with Compassion, appears in three different forms in this case; together, they illustrate key characteristics of this savior figure, who has been popular throughout Asia for almost two thousand years.

As the lotus bearer, Avalokiteshvara stands in a graceful posture, with his left hand holding a lotus at his elbow in the gesture of reassurance, and his right hand lowered in the gesture of gift granting. The Buddha Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara’s spiritual father, appears prominently in his headdress. Traces of azurite in his hair show that the artisan who made this image followed the Tibetan tradition of depicting peaceful deities with blue hair.