Ascetic form of the Pensive Avalokiteshvara
See it in the Museum
India and Nepal
Orientation 2
Display 1
ABS 176
Code: ABS 176
Country: India (north-west)
Style: Post-Gupta Style
Date: 500 - 600
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 8.5 x 14.5 x 6.5
Materials: Brass
The “pensive Avalokiteshvara Padmapani” is shown here in the siddhi-like ascetic nirmanakaya aspect, distinguished by long hair and very few ornaments. This denotes the manner in which a Bodhisattva appears in the worldly existence of samsara. The “pensive gesture” is presumably indebted to Greco-Roman influence.