North Indian Pala Bronze Image of Padmapani

This fine, cast bronze image of Padmapani, the lotus bearer, dates to the Pala Dynasty period, 11th or 12th century, Eastern India.

It shows the deity seated in lalitasana, on a lotus dais, with the right foot supported by a smaller lotus. The right hand is in varadamudra, the gesture of charity, and the left hand holds the the stem of a lotus which rises to a bloom with a particularly pointy middle.

Padmapani has a naked, hour-glass-like torso, and wears a tall, conical headdress decorated with petals, and is surrounded by an aureole decorated with stylised, leafy flames. His headdress has small ribbons that seem to fly off each side, a device that often is seen on Pala bronzes.

Padmapani is a form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of Buddhist compassion. Avalokiteshvara’s identity can be determined by a small effigy of Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara’s spiritual progenitor, atop his head.

Padmapani or Avalokiteshvara’s compassionate nature is suggested in this bronze by its open stance and expansive hand gestures.

The style of the deity here was one which would be copied in Tibet and Nepal, particularly after the Muslim invasion of northern India which saw religious refugees and artisans relocate to Himalayan areas. Small bronzes such as this example often were taken to Tibet too, and it is possible that this is where this bronze was exported.

The image has a rich, dark patina, and is in fine condition.