China, Tang dynasty, late 7th–8th century; gilt leaded bronze, piece-mold cast; H. 9 1/6 in.; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1933, 33.91, photo: www.metmuseum.org.
7. Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)
Vase (Guanyin Ping)
China, Northern Qi dynasty (550–577); bronze; H. 6 1/8 in., diam. 1 7/16 in. (rim), 1 15/16 in. (foot); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of James Freeman, 2002, 2002.290.
The Indian Avalokiteshvara sometimes carries a spouted ritual vase, known as a kundika. In Chinese iconography, a variant of this vessel is an elegant long-necked vase called a Guanyin ping. The figure on the left holds such a vase, which contains the elixir of immortality, amrita. The bodhisattva bestows this “sweet dew” on devotees.