Padmapani Lokeshvara Seated on the Rock

Description

Though diminutive, this image conveys a monumental power through the intense expression particular to Kashmiri art. He sits alert in yogic concentration on a lotus pedestal that exists miraculously in a rocky wilderness. His left hand holds the stem of a lotus flower—the main attribute of this bodhisattva of compassion. His generously sized right hand with fleshy palm is in the gift-giving gesture. The tiny figure of Amitabha, the Buddha who sits in meditation in his crown, identifies the image as Avalokiteshvara.

Provenance

(Spink & Son, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?–1971); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1971–)

Padmapani Lokeshvara Seated on the Rock

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700s

Accession Number

1971.20

Medium

bronze with silver overlay

Dimensions

Overall: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.); Base: 6.3 cm (2 1/2 in.)

Classification

Sculpture

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund