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Wooden statue of Avalokitesvara from Western Xia Dynasty
Updated: May 20, 2025
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Wearing a high crown, adorned in jewelry and a long skirt, and with a chubby, delicate face and slender brows, this statue of Avalokitesvara (Guanyin) from the Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227) was carved from a single block of wood. Standing on a waisted pedestal, the statue once gleamed in red paint and gold leaf, most of which has faded with time. Despite the missing right hand, the bodhisattva is still stunning with an elegant pose.
Discovered in 1990 at the Hongfo Pagoda in Helan county, Yinchuan, Ningxia, the statue now resides at the Xixia Museum.
