Sister Mi trained to make the Avalokitesvara

[Mijie trained to make the statue of Avalokitesvara]

Mijie trained to make the bronze gold-plated statue of Avalokitesvara in the sixth year of Tang Wude (623), with a height of 17.5 cm
It looks like full-body gilding, with flame patterns carved on the negative line, peach-shaped head light, wearing a long skirt, holding willow branches and clean bottles, and standing on the lotus round seat, under which is a square quadruped. The inscription on the seat reads: “On April 8, the sixth year of Wude, Mai Jie, a disciple of the orthodox Buddha, trained to create the first area of Avalokitesvara for his dead son Chi and for his family members.”
The key to understanding this image is two points: first, Avalokitesvara is a male image. This image is consistent with that of Avalokitesvara in the Sui Dynasty in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, which shows that Avalokitesvara still retains the original religious connotation of India at this time, and is not completely sinicized and secularized. Second, the importance of chronological inscriptions. From the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Sui Dynasty, it was common practice to cast a vow on the bronze Buddha statue to indicate the age. After the entry of the Tang Dynasty, there were fewer people with vows, fewer people with chronological vows, and especially those with Wu De inscriptions. This statue not only provides us with the age standard for studying the bronze Buddha in the early Tang Dynasty, but also provides us with information for studying the statue customs at that time.