This gilt bronze piece is a rare and distinctive Buddhist figure made in the Yunnan region of south-west China in a style reflecting influences from India, Tibet, Burma, China and south-east Asia. At the time it was cast, between 1200-1250, Yunnan was an independent kingdom ruled by the Duan family. The figure represents Avalokitesvara (or Guanyin in Chinese), one of the holy beings (or Bodhisattvas) of the Buddhist tradition who has obtained the final enlightenment, but chosen to return to earth to help humanity. The Duan kings believed that an Indian monk of the 7th century, who was said to have introduced Buddhism to the kingdom, was actually the embodiment of the Bodhisattva Guanyin. He took the form of an Indian monk, hence the princely Indian dress of this figure. Images of Bodhisattvas were used in temples and shrines, and were particularly popular among devotees. Guanyin is specifically associated with the virtue of compassion and was considered a tutelary divinity for the royal house.