Kannon (Avalokiteśvara)

This is an image of the bodhisattva Kannon (Skt. Avalokiteśvara) that retains the elegance of sculpture from late in the Heian period (794–1185) in spite of the loss of both its arms. It is surmised to have been the eleven-headed emanation of the bodhisattva, as holes remain at the top of the head into which the smaller heads would have been fitted. A painting of the same deity in the form of Thousand-Armed Kannon (Skt. Sahasrabhuja-āvalokiteśvara) was interred within the statue (1105-1), which comes from Kōfukuji Temple in Nara. Although this standing Kannon has lost both arms, it still conveys the elegance of late-Heian-period sculpture. This statue has been classified as a “standing Kannon,” but it is thought that it was originally the eleven-headed form, Jūichimen Kannon (Skt. Ekadaśamukha). Painted image of Senju Kannon (Thousand-armed Avalokiteśvara) from the late-Heian period were deposited within the statue as well.

— Museum description: Nara National Museum (CC BY 4.0), via ColBase / Japan Search.