Three Saints of the West Statue Set in Boxwood

Description

The pale grain of aged boxwood holds a warmth that draws the eye before the mind has time to recognize the form carved within it.

In Pure Land Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha presides over the Western Pure Land of Bliss, a realm understood to be free from the conditions that cause suffering and unfavorable rebirth. He is attended by two great Bodhisattvas: Guanyin, the embodiment of compassion known in Sanskrit as Avalokitesvara, who is said to respond to the suffering of all beings; and Mahasthamaprapta, whose name translates as arrival of great strength, representing the power of wisdom and steadfast recitation practice. Together the three form the Western Triad, venerated across China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam for more than a thousand years as the central devotional figures of Pure Land Buddhism.

Each figure in this set is hand-carved from boxwood, a dense, fine-grained hardwood long prized by sculptors for its resistance to cracking and its capacity to hold precise surface detail at small scale. Amitabha sits at the center in deep meditation posture; Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta stand at either side in their traditional positions. The three pieces are carved and finished individually.

The set comprises three figures carved from natural boxwood. Specific dimensions are not listed. Country of origin: China.

The three figures are conventionally arranged together as a devotional grouping. As a natural material, boxwood will vary in grain pattern and tone between individual pieces.