19th Century Pair of Chinese Wood Statues of Bodhisattva Buddhism Art

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A pair of finely carved wood statues depicting near mirror images of two Bodhisattvas, likely dated to 19th century of … Read more A pair of finely carved wood statues depicting near mirror images of two Bodhisattvas, likely dated to 19th century of late Qing dynasty, but executed in Song style. Dressed in flowing robes, crowned and bejeweled, these Bodhisattvas are known as Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit. In China, his identify took a cultural transformation and became Guanyin (the one who detects the sounds of the world), who is worshipped for her compassion and mercy for those in the sufferings.
Both posed in the seated "Royal Ease", the goddess rests on a rock. The carved surface was painted in polychrome. Their facial expression is full of calmness and compassion. The two are similar in size and mounted on the same base but instead of being identical, they were clearly created as a complimentary pair with slightly different pose and mudra with their hand. Their thin face and slender body are not typical Qing style but more akin to the style in the much earlier Song dynasty. See less