Guanyin Bodhisattva (Avalokiteśvara)

The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin in China), whose name means “he who perceives the sounds of the world’s sufferings,” is the most popular deity in all of Buddhism, worshipped throughout Southeast and East Asia as the embodiment of compassion. While all Buddhist deities are technically male, Avalokiteśvara’s compassionate nature led to both masculine and feminine depictions. A small Buddha figure in Avalokiteśvara’s headdress identifies him as a bodhisattva attendant to Amitābha Buddha, providing him with the power to grant access to the Pure Land (or paradise). The wood construction and distinctive elongated shape of this figure are characteristic of works of the Song-Yuan period in China.