Seated Bodhisattva, Possibly Padmapani
Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara)
Not on view
The seated figure is richly adorned with a collar, a necklace with a central bead, earrings, a cord of amulet cases worn diagonally across the chest, a sacred thread falling loosely over the right arm, and two pairs of bracelets. He holds an inverted lotus, suggesting that he represents either the Bodhisattva Padmapani (Lotus Bearer) or an early form of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. It is unusual for a bodhisattva to be depicted seated in a lotus posture, and thus the precise identity of this figure remains controversial.
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