Untitled

Unknown

8th–early 9th century · Copper alloy · Asian Art

This four-armed Avalokiteshvara exemplifies the finest qualities associated with the pan-Asian cult of the savior bodhisattva. Through its grace and humanism, the work embodies the qualities of compassion central to Buddhist ethics. It may have been made in Sumatra or in the Malay Peninsula, regions linked by commercial activity in which religious imagery could readily circulate. Chinese pilgrim sources tell of major monasteries that prospered in both areas. cat. no. 158

Artist

Unknown

Date

8th–early 9th century

Medium

Copper alloy

Culture

Southern Thailand or Sumatra

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1982