This
magnificent Bodhisattva Quan Yin riding the Water Dragon is
a prototype established in Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD); and
by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) when this sculpture is carved,
among popular variations of QuanYin in painting and sculpture.
Respectively, there is no other prototype QuanYin image more
loved by the Chinese and Japanese pilgrims.
This large and exquisitely carved fruit-wood sculpture
depicts Quan Yin, the embodiment of compassion standing in
tribhanger, unfolding from within the wrapped lotus leaf.
She is dressed in full robes, with eyes downcast in serene
expression, holding a life-giving vase in her right hand,
a boon granting gesture in her left, and riding a ferocious
Water Dragon frolicking in the whirlpool of the South Sea.
The dragon is a symbol of creative power, the spirit of change,
and of life force itself.
Private
Collection
