A Ring of a Thousand Arms

Viewing notes

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

This many-armed bodhisattva, gold from crown to base, sits in full lotus on an enormous lotus throne, her principal hands pressed together at her chest. Her tall crown rises in tiers; her eyes are lowered, her expression composed. Behind her the arms fan out layer upon layer into a great ring of light, each hand holding an implement — long staffs, a wheel, scrolls, a vase, a mirror, a lotus bud. Beyond the ring spreads a further halo woven from countless tiny hands, its rim a roll of curling flames. Golden robes fall in broad folds and beaded ornaments rest across her breast; below, lotus petals rise in tiers, tips curled, over a round plinth carved with vines. For all its gold the piece is serene rather than showy — made for the principal seat of a shrine, or the solemn, splendid centre of a grand interior.