Bodhisattva; China, Yuan-Ming Dynasty, 13th-14th centuries.

Bodhisattva; China, Yuan-Ming Dynasty, XIII-XIV centuries.
Wood with traces of polychrome.
Attached certificate C-14.
Work exhibited at Feriarte 2006.
It has faults.
Measurements: 137 x 70 x 37 cm; 137 x 72, 5 x 52 cm (with base).
Wooden sculpture representing Bodhisattva. The term bodhisattva designates a being who, by the systematic exercise of the perfect virtues, reaches Buddhahood, but renounces to enter the complete Nirvana in order to help and guide all beings, until all of them are liberated. His determining quality is compassion, supported by wisdom and supreme knowledge. A bodhisattva gives active help and is ready to take upon himself the suffering of all beings and to transfer his karmic merit to others; logically, they are the object of veneration by the believers, who feel them closer and see in them guides and help in their needs. In this particular case, the way in which the back of the sculpture is worked indicates that the piece was originally part of the ornamentation of an architectural space and probably also of a larger sculptural group. In spite of the faults caused by the passage of time, the quality of the carving and the skill of the artist can still be appreciated.
During the Yuan dynasty a rich cultural diversity developed. The main cultural achievements were the development of the theater and the novel and the increased use of the written vernacular. Arts and culture also developed and flourished greatly during the Yuan dynasty. The political unity of China and much of Central Asia promoted trade between East and West. The extensive contacts of the Mongols with Western Asia and Europe produced a great deal of cultural exchange. The other cultures and peoples of the Mongol Empire also greatly influenced China. It had greatly facilitated exchange and trade throughout Asia until its decline; communications between the Yuan dynasty and its ally and subordinate in Persia, the Ilkhanate, fostered this development. Buddhism had a great influence on Yuan rule, and Tantric Buddhism of the Tibetan rite had greatly influenced China during this period.