A BRONZE FIGURE OF SAMANTABHADRA

Description:

China, inscribed 'Zhengde san nian' (the third year of Zhengde period [1508]), late Ming dynasty
H. 27,5 cm
Seated with legs crossed on a lotus base rising from the back of the caparisoned elephant reclining on a lotus base, his hands holding a lotus flower supporting a manuscript, wearing various garments including an underskirt and a wide-sleeved mantle, bejewelled, his face displaying a serene expression with downcast eyes below arched eyebrows, elongated earlobes with ear ornaments, his hairdo combed in a chignon and secured with a tiara decorated with a pair of floating ribbons.
From the collection of merchant Alfred Julius Forkel (1873-1934), assembled in China prior to 1910 - Minor wear, slightly chipped