The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara 観音菩薩立像かんのんぼさつりゅうぞう

Description

Both the year and place of creation of this statue are known from the inscription on its pedestal. This statue was originally part of a triad, whose central figure is held by the British Museum.

This large marble statue is approximately 2.5 meters tall and over 3 meters tall including its pedestal.

The necklaces around the figure’s neck and his unclothed upper body with a long, thin garment over both shoulders suggest that this is a statue of a bodhisattva. Pay particular attention to his crown. The small image of the Buddha on its front shows that this is the Bodhisattva Kannon. This Bodhisattva Kannon statue looks rather stout from the front, while thin and flat, with a protruding belly, from the side. His garments and jewelry are depicted in shallow relief. These are all characteristics of Buddhist statuary from Sui-dynasty (581–618) China.

There is an inscription on the front and right sides of the pedestal. It tells us that a large statue and two bodhisattva statues, which were made at a temple called Chongguang-si in 585, during the Sui dynasty, accumulated damage over a long period of time. The inscription has also revealed that the temple was restored in 674, during the Tang dynasty (618–907), and the statues were repaired in 685. In other words, this statue was originally one of a triad.

An over-6-meter-tall standing statue of the Buddha Amida in the collection of the British Museum is actually the central figure of the triad to which this statue belongs. The whereabouts of the remaining bodhisattva statue are unknown. The statue of Buddha Amida in the British Museum’s collection and this statue have certain features in common; they are both made of marble and share a similar style. According to the inscription on this statue of Amida, more than 100 people, primarily from a family with the surname Han, became involved in the creation of this triad of statues through their ties to Buddhism. The inscription also tells us that the statues were originally located in a village in what is now Hebei Province in China. Hebei Province is known for the creation of numerous marble Buddhist statues beginning in the 4th century, during the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535), and continuing through the Tang and Song (960–1279) dynasties. Chongguang-si Temple, where this statue was originally located, no longer exists, but it is thought to have been in this area as well.