GRANDE STATUE DE GUANYIN EN BOIS POLYCHROME

The iconography is based on the Gandavyuha chapter of the Buddhist Avatamasakasutra where Avalokiteshvara or Guanyin resided on Mount Potalaka where the young pilgrim Sudhana visited him. He found Guanyin seated on the rocky shores of the grotto 'Sound of the Waves' contemplating the reflection of the moon in the water. In due course this specific form of Guanyin became better known as water-moon Guanyin.