Holding the Stem on the Lotus Throne

Viewing notes

A viewer's written impression — not a buyer review or first-hand record

This copper-toned bodhisattva sits enthroned within her own shrine. Wearing a tall, ornate crown, she sits in full lotus on a great lotus pedestal, eyes lowered, both hands holding a long, slender curved stem horizontally before her — the stem reaching out from her right hand, its tip bearing a small lotus-leaf-shaped piece, the gesture light yet steady. Behind her rises a pointed aureole covered edge to edge with layered flame patterning, framing her like a small niche. Beneath the lotus throne a lion crouches, and below that stands a tiered rectangular altar base: little railings run around it, scrolling foliage and lotus motifs rank across the front, and a small standing attendant figure occupies each of the lower front corners. Layer upon layer from crown to base, in a deep, heavy copper, the piece carries its own altar with it — set it at the principal position of a shrine and one piece completes the arrangement; placed as display, it forms a complete visual centre on its own.