Eleven Faced Avolokiteshvara
十一面观世音

Tibet, 15th Century
30.4 cm (12 in)
Onno Janssens Collection, Netherlands, before 1998

Himalayan Art Resources # 66738

 

This form of Avalokitesvara with eleven faces and multiple hands is a meditational deity with Tantric meditation commitments and ritual practices. The eight arms here serve as an abbreviated method of depicting the one thousand arms that this form of Avalokiteshvara typically displays.

Peaceful in appearance, with eleven faces rising upward in groups of three, the 10th is wrathful and the face at the top is that of the buddha Amitabha. Each face has two eyes and a dot between the eyebrows; long black hair flows across the shoulders. With 8 hands the first pair at the heart hold a precious jewel. The three right hands extended to the side are in the mudra of generosity, holding a Dharma wheel and a crystal prayer bead mala. The three on the left hold a water flask, a bow and arrow and a lotus blossom. Each face is adorned with a gold crown, ribbons and earrings. Necklaces, bracelets and precious jewels adorn the body and a scarf is wrapped about the neck. A deerskin is worn across the left shoulder and the lower body is covered in various silk fabrics. With the two legs together he stands atop a lotus flower.

The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is the patron deity of Tibet and appears in a variety of forms both peaceful, wrathful and in large mandalas surrounded by numerous deities. As a universal symbol he embodies the compassion of all buddhas of the ten directions and three times.  Lord Atisha, Rinchen Zangpo and others popularized this practice throughout Tibet.

This statue is particularly important for the incredibly fine incising work on the skirt comprising masterfully executed cloud and flower motifs.  While the eleven faced form of Avalokitesvara becomes increasingly popular in Tibet and China from the 17th century onward, very few fine examples of this deity exist from the 15th century and before; making this one of the finest known examples of this type.  A similar example can be found in the Essen Collection at the Museum der Kulturen, Basel (HAR # 3313927).

 

西藏，15世纪
30.4厘米（12英寸）
Onno Janssens 收藏，荷兰，早于1998年

喜马拉雅艺术资源中心编号：66738

 

十一面多臂观音造像是藏传佛教密宗修行的禅定尊, 此尊八臂观音是千手观音的一种简化表现形式。

此尊观音神态宁静，面露慈像。十一面像以三个一组，第十张面露嗔相，顶部为阿弥陀佛。每张脸有两眼和眉间一点，长黑发及肩。主臂于胸前合十，手握珍宝。右三臂向外伸展，呈予愿印，持法轮和水晶念珠。左边三臂分别持有净水瓶，弓箭和一支莲花。每面都顶有金冠，佩丝带和耳环。身上佩有项链，手环和宝石，项戴璎珞。左肩披鹿皮，下身着各样丝帛。双腿站立于莲花之上。

观世音菩萨是西藏的主神, 具有多种化身，呈慈像或愤怒像，亦或出现于众多神灵围绕左右的大型坛场。观音菩萨是慈悲的象征，也可以说是十方三世一切诸佛慈悲的显现。印度大师阿底峡尊者，大译师仁钦桑布等人大力推动了西藏地区对于观世音的崇信。

这尊观世音因其极为精彩的裙部雕工所呈现的云朵、花卉等图案而显得尤为重要。尽管自十七世纪以来，十一面观世音像在西藏地区和中国越发流行，然而仅有极为少数十五世纪及以前的十一面观世音像佳作存世。因此，这尊佛像可以说是此种造型中现存最好的十一面观世音像之一。另外一件相似的塑像可见于巴塞尔文化博物馆的Essen收藏（喜马拉雅艺术资源中心编号：3313927）。