The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)

Gilded Bronze Sculpture of the Sui and Tang dynasties, 581–907

Buddhism received support at almost all levels of society during the first 150 years of the Tang dynasty; however, many temples and artworks created during this period were destroyed during the Buddhist persecutions of the late Tang. Surviving paintings, architecture, and sculpture made of perishable materials are rare, but some traces can be found in Japan, where more artwork and structures of the same period have survived. Small-scale gilded bronze objects also allow valuable insight into the magnificence of this sculptural tradition.

Images of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin) in Tang Sculpture

Avalokiteshvara, whose name in Chinese (Guanyin) means “one who observes or hears the pleas of devotees,” is the most represented of all Buddhist figures in Chinese art. Guanyin has been worshiped in many ways, including as one of the attendants to Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise. Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra lists his thirty-three forms and relates his ability to rescue believers from peril. Its vivid descriptions of Guanyin’s transformations—male to female, old to young—were an important source for Tang artists and those of later eras. To attract more devotees, Chinese artists continuously applied changing ideas of gender and physical beauty to Guanyin sculptures.