Incense burner

Gilt Bronze Sculpture of the Tang dynasty (618-906)
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, and surviving paintings, architecture, and sculpture made of perishable materials are rare. Some hints can be found in Japan, where more artworks and structures of the same time have survived. Small-scale gilt bronze objects also allow some insights into the glories of this sculptural tradition.

The Image of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guanyin) in Tang Sculpture
Avalokiteshvara, whose name in Chinese (Guanyin) means "one who observes or hears the pleas of devotees," is the most often represented of all Buddhist figures in Chinese art. Avalokiteshvara 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 Avalokiteshvara's transformations-male to female, old to young-were a prime source for Tang artists and those of later eras. It is in sculptures of this bodhisattva that Tang artists most freely explored their concepts of sensuality and physical beauty.