Padmapāṇi Lokeśvara (Avalokiteśvara as Lotus Holder)

This serenely beautiful work was made during the Malla Period in Nepal (1200–1769) by the renowned sculptors of the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley. The bodhisattva stands in a relaxed posture borrowed from classical South Asian dance and known as the “three bends pose” (tribhaṅga)—the weight is on one leg, the hips are shifted, and the upper body and neck are tilted. Relaxed stances like this one were considered more appropriate to bodhisattvas and their dynamic intercession in our world. Buddhas tend to be portrayed in a more formal seated posture.

This figure would have held the stem of the lotus that rests by the left shoulder; sadly, that stem has been lost, making the left-hand gesture a little confusing. The right hand makes the gesture of generosity (varada mudrā). Although this work lacks the Amitābha Buddha in the crown and the deerskin that help to identify the subject as Avalokiteśvara, it is very similar to other works from the same period that are more firmly identified.