Untitled

Unknown

7th century · Brass with silver and copper inlay · Asian Art

This is one of the greatest early medieval metal icons associated with Buddhist art of the Swat Valley. The work is closely connected to related major schools of religious image making in Gilgit (northern Pakistan) and Kashmir, and its physiognomy and drapery embodies elements of the late Gandharan style. The four-armed form of Avalokiteshvara marks the beginning of a long tradition of figures known as the “Bodhisattva of the six-syllables,” associated with the famous prayer “Om Manipade Hum.” This iconographic form is a visualization of that prayer.

Artist

Unknown

Date

7th century

Medium

Brass with silver and copper inlay

Culture

Pakistan (Swat Valley)

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, The Vincent Astor Foundation, Anonymous, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert H. Kinney, and Nancy Fessenden Gifts; John Stewart Kennedy and Rogers Funds, by exchange; Gifts of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan, and Samuel Eilenberg, by exchange, 2012