This finely-cast figure of the bodhisattva Amitayus is seated in the meditation posture on a circular double-lotus base. With a serene expression and downcast eyes, he holds a long-life vase, signifying his power to bestow longevity and healing. The various stylistic elements of the statue demonstrate the influence of Buddhist bronzes cast during the reign of the Yongle Emperor (1402-1424), who is known to have sponsored Tibetan monasteries and the production of numerous sculptures in a Tibeto-Chinese style. Compare the style of the elaborate garlands, the beaded armbands, the foliate tiara, and the geometric folding of his upper and lower garments with an imperially-commissioned gilt-bronze figure of Amitayus from the reign of the Yongle Emperor sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 2861.
Amitayus, the subject of the present sculpture, is one of the most popular meditational deities in Vajrayana Buddhism where he is highly revered for his longevity attributes, pure perception and awareness of the emptiness of phenomena. According to the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, compiled during the first or second century CE, the infinite merits possessed by the deity resulted from the performance of good deeds in his past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara. Having attained enlightenment, the deity resides in the Pure land of Sukhavati.