Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin), from a set of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and Flying Celestials

China

c. 951–953

Colors on plaster

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A seated figure with a crown and halo is depicted in a fresco painting. The figure wears ornate robes and jewelry, with intricate patterns adorning the clothing. A seated figure with a crown and halo is depicted in a fresco painting. The figure wears ornate robes and jewelry, with intricate patterns adorning the clothing. These paintings were once part of a much larger composition—now dispersed among several collections in the United States—that originally formed the wall of a temple in north-central China, possibly Cishengsi in far northern Henan province. All together the set depicts a trio of seated bodhisattvas. Each one is flanked by standing attendant bodhisattvas and surrounded by other attendants performing rituals. They are also accompanied by flying celestials (<i>apsara<i>) in a p