Seated Guanyin

There were two distinct manifestations of the female Guanyin in China. The most ancient form is probably that which shows strong Indian influence modeled as a Bodhisattva. The figure of the Guanyin traditionally sits with either legs locked or sideways on a lion, holding a Sutra in her right hand and resting it on her right arm (a Sutra is a book or scroll of prayers, representing the Dharma (teaching) of the Buddha or the Sutra (Buddhist text). In this carving, she is sitting in a royal ease position (an attitude derived from Buddha's common sitting postures in Indian art). Next to the left of the Bodhisattva is a vase or a mo-yü, put on a cloud-pattern stand. This vase was usually shown in the earliest carvings of the Ming period as a round vase-form derived from the Indian Kasala*, that has a willow branch, the special emblem of the Bodhisattva. This figure's hairdo and facial features along with the low neckline of her garment all carry austere, deeply carved lines which was typical of the late Ming period. The Bodhisattva's cranial bump was a bun with a wavy hairstyle. The statue above definitely illustrates Gandharan influences. This piece is clearly influenced by Indian Buddhist art. * During the Ming Dynasty, the beaker vase was sometimes adorned with the sacred fungus