¶ … statue "The Bodhisattva of Compassion (Guanyin) Seated in Royal Ease," from China, 1000-1100, a gazer is first struck by the what might be termed the 'royalty' of the piece. In other words, the sculpture is extremely ornate yet lifelike in its quality. The construction and the Mahayana Buddhist religious ideation behind the work stress the removal of the deity from human nature, yet its compelling interest in human nature. It is created from Polychromed Wood, and has a shining, almost painted appearance that gives its skin an almost human texture. It stands approximately 95 x 65 inches (241.3 cm) and was created in the Shanxi Province during the Liao Dynasty (A.D. 907-1125).
The statue specifically depicts the Bodhisattva Guanyin, the Chinese Buddhist deity of compassion and mercy, seating on a crag of rock, as if she were seated on a mountain, high above the gazer's eye level. However, Guanyin does not appear entirely 'above' the gazer in terms of her attitude. In fact, the position of the Guanyin conveys the impression that the Bodhisattva might at any moment awake from a state of deep contemplation and step down from the carved lotus rest to meet the individual staring at her statue.
This Bodhisattva's worldly ornaments, such as her high tiara and rich necklaces in sumptuous detail, contrast with the usual images of the Buddha, Siddharta Guatama, who tends to be depicted in more plain, fleshy terms. Guanyin's soft skin, contour of the body, and beguiling charm of the smile create an aura of beauty rather than humanity.
The wood of her statue is finished so that the statue looks as if a light from a great height shines it down upon her head. However, rather than the more conventional sainted 'halo' of Western art, this Bodhisattva is supposed to be shining with the compassion of an awakening from entrapment the suffering...
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