The upraised right and lowered left legs, as well as the lionlike mount, identify the sculpture as Guanyin (in Sanskrit, Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion. After the tenth century this posture, known as "royal ease," was standard in representations of Guanyin in his paradise, believed to be Mount Putuo, an island off the coast of southeast China. The mount indicates that the sculpture represents Guanyin of the Lion's Roar (Simhanada Avalokiteshvara). The roar symbolizes both a moment of transcendent understanding and the bodhisattva's supernal wisdom. Later Chinese images of Guanyin riding a creature identified as a hou, meaning "roar," may derive from this traditional manifestation.

Guanyin's lean physique and full, but not fleshy, face suggest a date in the early part of the twelfth century. The bodhisattva wears a long skirt and full shawl, a thin scarf knotted at his chest, an elaborate pectoral, and an armlet. A thin fillet, which supported a diadem, encircles his parted and braided hair. The hair, the textile-like designs on the edges of the shawl, and the lion's mane, fur, and tail are all treated schematically, in accordance with the rhythm of the overall composition.

This elegant sculpture is one of two early Chinese representations of Guanyin of the Lion's Roar. The other, made of iron and dated 1112, is in the collection of the Kyoto National Museum, Japan.