Chinese Northern Wei Brick with Guanyin

A finely moulded Northern Chinese, Wei Dynasty, grey rectangular ceramic brick displaying a nimbate figure of Guayin. The standing figure is depicted frontally, wearing a long robe with carved folds to the garment, painted in deep red with the insides of the sleeves rendered in light green. She is performing the Abhaya mudra with her raised hand, symbolising charity, compassion and boon granting. The mudra is a ritualistic pose or gesture which holds symbolic meaning in Buddhism, generally performed with hands and fingers, sometimes involving the whole body. The figure’s hair is styled in a high bun, coloured in black pigment which beautifully contrasts with the green coloured aureola behind her head. Facial features, such as eyes and eyebrows, feature a calm, contemplative expression and are rendered through delicate streaks of black paint, while the lips are painted in bright red. The panel above the figure is decorated with orange draping. The reverse of the brick is undecorated.