Unknown
Chintamani Lokeshvaracirca 1500

Not on view

Carved wood sculpture of a dancing deity standing beneath an arched canopy of foliage, with raised arms, elaborate crown and jewelry, dark weathered surface with traces of red and gold pigment

Carved and gilded wood sculpture of a multi-armed deity in a tribhanga pose, adorned with intricate jewelry and a crown, beneath an elaborate arched torana with foliate and medallion carvings; traces of polychrome and gilt surface throughout.

Carved wood sculpture of a dancing figure in tribhanga pose beneath an arched torana with pierced foliate decoration; traces of polychrome pigment and gilding remain on the figure's jewelry and garments.

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Chintamani Lokeshvara
Place Made: Nepal
Date Made: circa 1500
Medium: Wood with paint
Dimensions: 52 1/2 x 22 x 9 in (133.35 x 55.88 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Anna Bing Arnold
Accession Number: M.84.93
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This adroitly carved sculpture depicting the Buddhist divinity Chintamani Lokeshvara (Wish-Fulfilling Gem Lord of the World) is a Newar form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Embodying wealth, abundance, and fertility, the deity is often paired on Nepalese shrine facades with Mayadevi, the mother of the Buddha Shakyamuni.
Chintamani Lokeshvara’s right hand is held in the gesture of ‘gift-giving’ (varada mudra) symbolic of his munificence. He stands gracefully with his legs crossed at the ankles and his left hand reaching up to grasp a garland of gems dangling from one of the two celestial wish-fulfilling trees (kalpa vriksha) that form a canopy over his head. Amidst the luxurious foliage and scrolling vine tendrils are birds and frolicking monkeys. Traces of devotional paint on the figure document its past ritual practice.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Nepal. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1985.
Huntington, John C. and Dina Bangdel. The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art. Columbus: The Columbus Museum of Art; Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003.
Pal, Pratapaditya; Dehejia, Vidya; Slusser, Mary Shepherd; Fisher, Robert E.; Brown, Robert L. Arts of Asia 15 (6): 68-125 (November- December 1985).
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.

Unknown
Chintamani Lokeshvaracirca 1500

Not on view

Artist or Maker: Unknown
Title: Chintamani Lokeshvara
Place Made: Nepal
Date Made: circa 1500
Medium: Wood with paint
Dimensions: 52 1/2 x 22 x 9 in (133.35 x 55.88 x 22.86 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Anna Bing Arnold
Accession Number: M.84.93
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: South and Southeast Asian Art
Curatorial Notes: This adroitly carved sculpture depicting the Buddhist divinity Chintamani Lokeshvara (Wish-Fulfilling Gem Lord of the World) is a Newar form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Embodying wealth, abundance, and fertility, the deity is often paired on Nepalese shrine facades with Mayadevi, the mother of the Buddha Shakyamuni.
Chintamani Lokeshvara’s right hand is held in the gesture of ‘gift-giving’ (varada mudra) symbolic of his munificence. He stands gracefully with his legs crossed at the ankles and his left hand reaching up to grasp a garland of gems dangling from one of the two celestial wish-fulfilling trees (kalpa vriksha) that form a canopy over his head. Amidst the luxurious foliage and scrolling vine tendrils are birds and frolicking monkeys. Traces of devotional paint on the figure document its past ritual practice.
Selected Bibliography: Pal, Pratapaditya. Art of Nepal. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; University of California Press, 1985.
Huntington, John C. and Dina Bangdel. The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art. Columbus: The Columbus Museum of Art; Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2003.
Pal, Pratapaditya; Dehejia, Vidya; Slusser, Mary Shepherd; Fisher, Robert E.; Brown, Robert L. Arts of Asia 15 (6): 68-125 (November- December 1985).
Little, Stephen, and Tushara Bindu Gude. Realms of the Dharma: Buddhist Art across Asia. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2025.