This figure represents the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the Buddhist Lord of Compassion. He is seen here in his popular manifestation as Padmapani, the lotus-bearer. The Bodhisattva’s right hand is lowered in the gesture of granting wishes (varadamudra). His left hand is ready to support the stem of the lotus (padma), but this is now missing.

Padmapani is a Bodhisattva, an enlightened being who voluntarily postponed passing into nirvana so that he could help others to gain salvation. The concept of the Bodhisattva was developed in the Mahayanist school of Buddhist thought, and gained enormous popularity in the Himalayas and the greater Asian world. The stillness and serenity of this figure speaks of the state of harmony to which the Bodhisattva aspires, whilst the flexed and sensuous pose in which he stands links him to the human world. The Bodhisattva’s right hand is lowered in the gesture of granting wishes (varadamudra), and his left hand is poised to support the stem of a lotus (padma), but this is now missing. The figure is richly adorned with jewellery that is inset with precious and semi-precious stones. A five-pointed diadem surrounds his elaborately dressed and raised hair (jatamukuta), which is surmounted by a small image of the Buddha Amitabha of whom Avalokitesvara Padmapani is seen as an emanation.

Newar craftsmen made this finely jewelled image for Tibetan patrons. It was probably produced in Shigatse, central Tibet, from where it was acquired. It exemplifies a long tradition of Newar craftsmen from the Kathmandu Valley working for Tibetan patrons in Tibet. This tradition can be dated back to the 7th century A.D. This masterpiece of Newari metal-casting was acquired by Brigadier-General C.G. Rawlings at Shigatse in 1904, whilst he was en route to Lhasa as part of the British Younghusband expedition. It is recorded that several members of the expedition acquired examples of ‘Lamaist’ art during the course of this journey.