A RARE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF A STANDING BODHISATTVA, Tibet, 18th century

h cm 17,8

Well cast in an upright position it is finely chiseled and decorated with bezels of semi-precious stones. Standing on a lotus flower base, with the right hand in the gesture of argumentation (vitarkamudra) and the left holding the stem of a lotus flower, it represents the bodhisattva Padmapani, or carrier of the lotus flower. The key iconographic elements of the image are the lotus flowers that run along the arms of the figure blooming over the shoulders. He wears a flared dhoti, tied at the waist, and is adorned with drapes and jewels: necklaces, earrings, anklets, bracelets and pendants; on the head he wears a crown on which is usually depicted a small image of the Amitabha buddha.