Material Limestone
Dimensions 128 cm
Place of Creation China
Price Price available upon inquiry
Status Vetted

About the Work

This large limestone bodhisattva which stands upright, is sculpted in the characteristic elegant style of the Northern Qi. The figure probably represents Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin). The head sits on a high columnar neck; the hair is tied in a topknot and crowned with a tiara, which is decorated around the front with stylized lotus leaves and round jewels. The beautiful face, has a rounded jawline and elongated earlobes; the high arched eyebrows curved elegantly over downcast, half-closed eyes. The mouth is smiling beatifically, giving the face a serene and beautiful expression. He wears a short top, wrapped around the upper body, stole draped over the shoulders and uppers arms; long skirt covers the legs. The back of the figure is comparatively flat, but carved with attention to detail.


The figure wears sumptuous jewels, embellished with looped strands of pearls, beads and pendants. Around the neck hangs an ornamental collar, inlaid with pearls or beads. Three larger jewels are suspend underneath, the largest has a chain from which a monster mask is suspended. A long ornamental chain yingluo瓔珞;, hangs over both shoulders and around the legs and back. It is gathered at the waist with a large ornament in the shape of a skull at the front and a flaming pearl at the back. A richly decorated sash, which hangs from the waist down between the legs, is divided by rows of pearls into seven panels with Buddhist motifs in relief.


Sculptures of bodhisattvas wearing extraordinary jewellery, epitomize stylistic and iconographic innovations in Chinese sculpture from the Northern Qi period. It is possible that the abundance of jewels this bodhisattva is wearing, refers to a passage in the Lotus Sutra in which the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and another bodhisattva praise Avalokiteshvara’s great compassion, presenting him with a pearl necklace as a symbol of his benevolence.

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Provenance

- With Wui Po Kok Antique Co. Hong Kong, 1990-'s
- With Zen Gallery, 1998
- Private Collection, Brussels, Belgium 2023

View artwork at TEFAF Maastricht 2025

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