Vietnam White Marble Kuan Yin Statue Pouring Her Vase on a Lotus, 60in

Kuan Yin pouring the water of compassion

This is Kuan Yin at the moment her mercy is given away. She stands upright on an open lotus, and with her right hand she tips a slender vase so that a thin stream of pure water runs down past her robes toward the petals at her feet. Her left hand hangs open at her side, palm turned outward, the gesture of someone offering rather than keeping. Her eyes are lowered and her mouth holds the faintest smile.

She is dressed in the Chinese manner: long layered robes with wide sleeves, strings of beads across the chest, and a hood-like veil that falls from a tall crown to her shoulders. At the front of the crown sits a small seated Amitabha Buddha, the sign that marks her as Avalokiteshvara in her East Asian form.

Why the pouring vase

In the Guanyin tradition the vase holds amrita, the water that cools suffering, and pouring it out is the clearest way a sculptor can show her vow to answer anyone who calls. A figure that pours suits water especially well. Set beside a lily pond, a fountain basin or a bed of raked gravel, the carved stream seems to join the real water around it, which is why many people searching for a Kwan Yin garden statue look for this form.

Stone, finish and size

The design is for Vietnam white marble, a dense, fine-grained stone that reads cooler and whiter than most Indian white marble, with only faint hairline veining. A soft satin polish lets the robe folds, the beadwork and the crown catch daylight without glare.

At 60 inches, five feet from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the crown, this is a statue for open ground: a garden lawn, the centre of a courtyard, or the entrance of a temple hall, where it can be seen whole from a distance. The two-tier lotus pedestal lifts her well clear of the ground, so she never stands at foot level.

Made to order

Each piece is carved to order by our sculptors in Jaipur, so details such as the height, the shape of the base or the finish can be adjusted before carving begins. A figure of this size is crated for freight and can be shipped to gardens and temples in India and abroad. Send us your site and we will confirm the dimensions, weight and a quote.