Represented as "Kuan-Yin of the southern seas," the Chinese Buddhist deity of compassion and mercy is seated in a variation of the pose of royal ease (Maharajalila) on a base imitating a craggy rock with his/her right arm resting on his/her folded right knee. The left arm rests on the rock while the left leg hangs down over the rockery onto a lotus blossom. The position of the Guanyin conveys the impression that the Bodhisattva might at any moment awake from deep contemplation and step down. The Bodhisattva's worldly ornaments, such as the high tiara and rich necklaces, are carved, gilded and painted in sumptuous detail.
Guanyin of the Southern Sea, China, Liao (907-1125) or Jin Dynasty (1115-1234). Wood with paint, 95 x 66 x 43 1/2 inches (241.3 x 167.6 x 110.5 cm). The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 34-10. Image courtesy Nelson-Atkins Media Services.
南海观音，中国，辽（907-1125）或金朝（1115-1234）。 带油漆的木材，95 x 66 x 43 1/2 英寸（241.3 x 167.6 x 110.5 厘米）。 尼尔森-阿特金斯艺术博物馆，密苏里州堪萨斯城。 购买：William Rockhill Nelson Trust，34-10。 图片由纳尔逊-阿特金斯媒体服务公司提供。