The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
Bronze Sculpture from the Dali Kingdom of Yunnan
The Dali kingdom was ruled from 937 by the Duan family in Yunnan in southwestern China. Having been resistant to Chinese expansion during the Tang and Song dynasties, Yunnan was not incorporated into China until the Duan clan was defeated by the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty in 1253. The Dali capital was located on one end of the major trade route between China and Southeast Asia popularly known as the Burma Road. The majority of its residents were predominately Buddhist and not ethnically Han people. The bronze sculptures in this case are examples of Buddhist art produced during this time. The iconography represents a combination of Chinese, Southeast Asian, and indigenous styles unique to this area; notable examples are figures of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, also known as Acuoye Guanyin in Chinese.
This standing Avalokiteshvara (Acuoye Guanyin) is representative of the Buddhist imagery of the Dali kingdom. With its hair piled high on its head with a small image of the Buddha Amitabha in front, the Avalokiteshvara is characterized by a slender body, a bare chest, a studded belt, and a tight-fitting lower garment. The hands are held in a standardized gesture, or mudra, with the gesture of religious discussion on the left and the gesture of gift-granting on the right.
Members of the ruling Nanzhao clan of Yunnan believed this image to resemble the Indian monk of the 600s who introduced Avalokiteshvara to their kingdom and was considered a reincarnation of him. These icons were regarded as good luck and reproduced in large numbers.
- bodhisattva
