A well-cast gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi period | 清康熙 鎏金銅無量壽佛坐像

This finely cast figure of Amitayus belongs to a small group of sculptures made during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor who was a devout follower of Tibetan Buddhism. Figures in this group were made in an array of sizes and portray Amitayus seated on a double lotus base, draped in jewellery embellished with colourful semi-precious stones. Such portrayals are characteristic of imagery used by Tibetans. The current figure is probably from the same set as other well-cast gilt-bronze figures of Amitayus recorded in museum collections, including one example in the Qing court collection, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Buddhist Statues of Tibet: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2003, p. 238, cat. no. 227.