Six Arms upon the Boar

Viewing notes

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

This golden group shows a many-armed bodhisattva riding a wild boar. He wears a tall crown inlaid with blue, his gaze lowered in composure, while six arms open in tiers at his sides, each holding an implement — vajra staff, arrow, bow, lotus bud and noose, each clearly told apart — and the central pair of hands is joined at his chest. His golden robes flow like water, crimson lining flashing at cuff and hem, beaded ornaments resting on his breast. He sits sidewise on the dark grey boar, whose bristles are carved strand by strand, tusks bared, head high as it strides forward. Below runs an oval plinth in red and gold ringed with lotus relief; before it sits a small golden Buddha with a fan-shaped halo, a quiet companion to the main figure. Motion answered by stillness, splendour by simplicity — a set made for enshrining whole in a shrine, or for standing as the principal scene of a room.