G678.2] BRONZE AVALOKITESVARA


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G678.2] BRONZE AVALOKITESVARA
INDONESIA, PROBABLY SUMATRA
SRIVIJAYA KINGDOM
7TH – 9TH CENTURY
H. 24 CMS, 9 ½ INS.
A large and important four-armed bronze figure of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of wisdom and compassion, with an attractive deep green patina, standing in slight tribhanga with his feet apart, the right hand lowered in varada (wish-granting)-mudra and the remaining hands holding a lotus, a rosary and a book, the face smiling and serene beneath a diadem and tall chignon adorned with a seated figure of Buddha Amitabha, a partial flame nimbus behind the head, mounted on a beautiful polished hardwood base.Reference: This figure probably originated in the great maritime kingdom of Srivijaya, believed to have been centred around Palembang, Sumatra. The Victorian and Albert museum has a similar Avalokitesvara- please see the following link:
https://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5281/four-south-east-asian-sculptures

Provenance: Private English collection.