Holding an ambrosia bottle in his hand, this beautifully cast figure depicts Avalokiteshvara, one of the most beloved bodhisattvas in China. The vessel symbolically filled with an elixir which is believed to cleanse negative karma and heal the unwell, making this representation particularly popular among devotees wishing for good health. The National Palace Museum, Taipei has a closely related figure, bearing a smaller vessel, that was included in the Museum’s exhibition The Casting of Religion: A Special Exhibition of Mr. Peng Kai-Dong's Donation, Taipei, 2004. This manifestation of the Bodhisattva can be traced at least to the Sui dynasty (581-618). Compare also another similarly rendered figure seated on an elevated lotus base, but of much larger size, measuring 62.4 cm in height, in the Chang Foundation, Taipei, and illustrated in Buddhist Images in Gilt Metal, Taipei, 1993, pl. 37.
