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Lot Essay
Amitayus is known as the ‘Buddha of Infinite Light’ and the ‘One who grants long life’. The deity is seen here in a classic representation seated in the lotus position (dhyanasana), with the hands held in meditation supporting a vessel (kalasha), which holds the elixir of immortality. As one of the most popular deities from the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, images of Amitayus found great favor with the Emperor Qianlong.
The current figure belongs to a group of cyclically-marked gilt-bronze Amitayus figures commissioned by Qianlong as gifts to his mother, the Empress Dowager, who was a devout Buddhist, in commemoration of her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays. Figures of Amitayus were often depicted in groups of nine, since ‘nine’ is a homophone for ‘eternity’.
The current figure belongs to a group of cyclically-marked gilt-bronze Amitayus figures commissioned by Qianlong as gifts to his mother, the Empress Dowager, who was a devout Buddhist, in commemoration of her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays. Figures of Amitayus were often depicted in groups of nine, since ‘nine’ is a homophone for ‘eternity’.