Chinese Tibetan Ming Dynasty gilt bronze Bodhisattva Buddha figure of Maitreya, the Bodhisattva of loving kindness and the Buddha of the next future eon after the age of Shakyamuni Buddha. Maitreya is believed to currently reside in the Tushita Heaven. He holds two lotus blossoms that support a golden wheel on his right and a water flask on the left. Two beautiful feet seated in vajra posture, adorned with many attractive silks and jewels, beautified with dark blue hair in tufts and some loose gracefully to the shoulder. Extensive trace of gilt remain on surface, with hints of green pigment on hair. The underside with incised Quatre-foil flori-form petals visvavajra mark surrounded the centralized DaiJi. Dimensions: Height: 10 7/8" Width: 6 7/8"PROVENANCE: From The Collections of Mike and Annie Gaither, US Navy 1959-1982. LAUREN Galleries honored to be once again offer the heirloom collections from Mike and Annie Gaither.With a sense of duty for his country Mike joined the US Navy in 1959 the idea was to see the world and obtain an education that would propel his future. The opportunity to become part of the submarine fleet was compelling and once involved it became his career path of choice. In 1964 he married his lifelong partner Annie Nix. And to this day they are still happily married.While in the Navy he specialized in communication and electronic repair and was able to obtain the rank of Radioman Chief Petty Officer during his time in the service he supervised crews of up to 25 in high speed communications, repair and records and Department Chief coordinating 8 repair divisions. Analyzing commands to discover systemic difficulties and training to resolve difficulties. Additional fields include intercultural and race relations, Drug and Alcohol training.With a long career in the Navy his desire to visit many foreign countries was fulfilled.His desire to be a leader in the open markets directed his path into the pastoral leadership where he was able to train and work with people in Italy Guam Saipan, Northern Marianas Islands, Republic of Palau, with visits to such countries Germany, and Asian Countries. With the opportunity to be in such places also provided the knowledge and ability to obtain collectibles from the area. Reaching a point where one feels that it is time to downsize and realign their assets this has opened the door for others to add these items into their private collection. The quality is exceptional, pristine and highly sought after.