A sumptuous South Sea Quan Yin in dark fruitwood, well conceived with billowing drapery and crisply rendered details combining to create an image of magnificent equipoise and serene contemplation in the midst of swirling energy. The Goddess of Compassion is holding the magical herb Lingi, appearing on Mount Portalaka above a dragon, and the vase in her left hand is pouring out a steady stream of immortality nectar. The artistry in this statue is a beautiful depiction of this potent and beloved bodhisattva. The elements of this statue move together with amazing grace.
The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was a male in India. He was worshipped in the realm of Amitabha Buddha. The Lotus Sutra lists his thirty-three transformations from male to female; which illustrates the infinity of means of salvation in his great compassion to rescue faithfuls from perils. Around the time of Sui dynasty in the 6th century, Avalokiteshvara began to transformed into a female deity, and identified in Chinese as Quan Yin (Kannon in Japanese). There are numerous forms of Quan Yin throughout China and Asia. Generally appear as a youthful feminine mother figure cloaked in white robe, her other popular manifestations including a thousand eyes and thousand armed Tantric form known as Da-bei, the Great Compassion Quan Yin. The seated bodhisattva in royal ease on Mount Portalaka is known as Nanhai (South Seas) Quan Yin, an original Chinese design established since the Tang Dynasty (618-906 A.D.).