ABS 054
Code: ABS 054
Country: Tibet (west)
Style:
Date: 1150 - 1250
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 39.5 x 58.5 x 13.5
Materials: Brass; inlaid with silver and copper
Avalokiteshvara Ekadasamukha
Ekadasamukha is a form of Avalokiteshvara with eleven faces. He is the bodhisattva of compassion. Here, the eight upper heads are missing. The eleven faces would be arranged in four tiers: three times three faces with a wrathful face at the top, surmounted by the head of Amitabha, the Buddha of the West, who presides over this line of bodhisattvas. In the Lotus Sutra, the epithet samantamukha "he who sees in all directions" is attributed to Avalokiteshvara. This underlines the universality of the help that this bodhisattva bestows on all those who are seeking it.
This large and imposing image of Avalokiteshvara, cast in Tibet, incorporates stylistic features that reflect influences of the Kashmir style and the North-Eastern Indian Pala tradition. The garment is profusely decorated with engraved ornaments and extensively inlaid with silver and copper.
Ekadasamukha is a form of Avalokiteshvara with eleven faces. He is the bodhisattva of compassion. Here, the eight upper heads are missing. The eleven faces would be arranged in four tiers: three times three faces with a wrathful face at the top, surmounted by the head of Amitabha, the Buddha of the West, who presides over this line of bodhisattvas. In the Lotus Sutra, the epithet samantamukha "he who sees in all directions" is attributed to Avalokiteshvara. This underlines the universality of the help that this bodhisattva bestows on all those who are seeking it.
This large and imposing image of Avalokiteshvara, cast in Tibet, incorporates stylistic features that reflect influences of the Kashmir style and the North-Eastern Indian Pala tradition. The garment is profusely decorated with engraved ornaments and extensively inlaid with silver and copper.