Pair of Avalokiteśvaras

The Avalokiteśvaras stand on lotus pedestals against an almond-shaped back panel that indicates a halo. Symetrically posed, they each hold a peach-shaped implement in one hand and a lotus bud in the other. The upper section of the back panel features a relief carving of a pair of apsaras supporting a stupa. The rectangular base is carved with images of lotus-born children holding a Mount Bo incense burner, a pair of lions, and a pair of Dharma guardians. A votive text is carved on the side of the base and records that on the eighth day of the second month, in the second year of the Taining reign, the widow Liu Yang commissioned this sculpture for her late husband Zhen with wishes for health and longevity.