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Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara
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Eleven-Headed Avalokitesvara
JAPAN; Kamakura period (1185–1333); Ink and color on silk; 108.6 x 41.1 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Avalokitesvara has white skin and narrowed eyes. The Bodhisattva sits on a lotus throne at the top of Mount Potalaka. Eleven smaller heads are painted within the headdress. Avalokitesvara wears a necklace, bracelets, a dhoti, and a stole. Beams of light radiate from the urna. The right hand forms the varada (wish-granting) mudra, and the left hand holds a vase containing a lotus. The nimbus and the aureole are painted with rings of dull color, while the mandorla is a simple gold circle. Below the Bodhisattva, there are trees and rounded rocks. In the bottom left corner, a figure with red skin kneels and makes an offering. |
