China, Sui dynasty (581-618) / 581–618
Bodhisattva Guanyin
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Bodhisattva Guanyin as sculpture (China, Sui dynasty (581-618) · 581–618).
Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, is seated in the lalitasana pose, at royal ease with one leg tucked and one leg hanging down.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as gilt bronze.
The museum's collection notes: Portable Buddhist figures and objects like this gilt bronze had a variety of uses. They could have been carried in religious processions. Others could serve as donations, souvenirs, or votive items in the context of pilgrimages to religious sites. Their miniature size also made them appropriate for placement on private altars or shrines for personal devotion.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtBodhisattva GuanyinOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.