Avalokitesvara Copper alloy Java, Central Javanese Period

Avalokitesvara, identified by the tiny Amitabha Buddha in his headdress, seated on a double lotus throne in a posture of ease (lalitasana) with his right hand lowered and bestowing favor (varada mudra) and his left hand raised in a gesture signifying separation (kartarimukhahasta mudra). He wears a long dhoti secured at the waist with a decorative clasp and a long sash draping over the thighs. The sacred thread (upavita) takes the form of a sash placed diagonally across the chest, and he wears a beaded necklace and decorative armbands, heavy earrings and a diadem with a leaf-shaped central emblem.

J. J. Klejman, New York.

Avalokitesvara is the personification of compassion and was the most popular bodhisattva in Indonesia during this period.