Avalokiteshvara, Padmapani.

Peaceful in appearance with one face and two hands, he sits in the vajra posture with the legs crossed. The right hand is held upraised in an open hand gesture. The left hands presses against the the lotus seat (missing) while holding the stem of a lotus flower blossoming above the left shoulder. A krishnasara deer skin hangs across the left shoulder, a unique attribute for both the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and Maitreya.

See the standing Avalokiteshvara in the Nyingjei Lam Collection for a comparable sculpture.

Jeff Watt 7-2007