Seated Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin)

China

late 11th–early 12th century

Wood, gesso, mineral pigments, and gold

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A seated wooden figure of a deity with elaborate headdress and robes, holding hands in mudras. The figure is painted with mineral pigments and gold. A seated wooden figure of a deity with elaborate headdress and robes, holding hands in mudras. The figure is painted with mineral pigments and gold. A bodhisattva is a Buddhist deity who has attained the highest level of enlightenment but delays entering paradise in order to aid other earthly beings. Because bodhisattvas remain on earth, their bodies are usually lavishly adorned, unlike buddhas, who have entered the perfected state of nirvana. Here seated in the lotus position, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara wears gold jewelry and luxurious silk robes that the artist embellished with delicate designs made of gold foil and gold pain