Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara) (1647–48 or 1658): Art, History and Details

Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara) (1647–48 or 1658) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Choying Dorje, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa (Tibetan, 1604–1674).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Choying Dorje was one of the most influential monastic leaders in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Known as the Tenth Karmapa, he was the head of the Karma Kagyu order of monks. His biographies state that from a young age he had a talent and passion for carving and painting images of bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings. Several of his original works survive, including this exceptionally rare ivory carving of Avalokiteshvara holding a lotus. Stylistically it is related to images from southwestern China, where he stayed in exile from 1647 to 1648 in the wake of Mongol invasions that destroyed many Kagyu monasteries in Tibet. While there he was exposed to Chinese art, which was favored by his patrons. The face has the distinctive elongation unique to Dorje's personal style. This sculpture could have been made during his time of exile or a decade later after his return to Tibet.

Object facts

• Title: Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara)
• Date: 1647–48 or 1658
• Creator attribution: Choying Dorje, the Tenth Black Hat Karmapa (Tibetan, 1604–1674)
• Culture: Tibet
• Type: Ivory
• Technique: ivory
• Dimensions: Overall: 29.2 cm (11 1/2 in.)
• Collection: China - Liao Dynasty
• Department: Chinese Art
• Accession number: 1968.280

Collection credit

Sundry Purchase Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1968.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art, vol. 56, no. 1, 1969, pp. 3–50.
• Tardy. Les ivoires; évolution décorative du Ier siècle à nos jours. Paris: 1972.
• Schroeder, Ulrich von. Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet. Hong Kong: Visual Dharma, 2001.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.