A Chinese bronze bodhisattva of Ksitigarbha,
late Ming dynasty, his eyes looking down and with a calm facial expression, wearing an elaborate beaded headdress with a seated Buddha and lotus, in a kasaya tied to his left shoulder over an ankle-length, robe, a pearl to represent wisdom in his left hand, standing on a double lotus platform with a dog by his feet,
80.5cm

Ksitigarbha, the Essence of the Earth, is one of the eight principal Mahayana students, or 'heart sons', of the Buddha, Shakyamuni. Ksitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are, emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva who brings help and comfort to those in the underworld realm of hell beings.

明晚期 铜铸地藏王菩萨立像