depicted standing and holding a long stem bearing a lotus bud, against a flame-shaped mandorla, all supported on a four-legged plinth with dedicatory inscriptions

See a similar figure of Padmapani, with a cyclical date corresponding to 484, formerly in the collections of Chen Jieqi and Marquis Blasco Lanza d’Ajeta, Italian Ambassador to Japan (1813-84), sold in our New York rooms, 19th March 2013, lot 12; another, dated to 504, from the Idemitsu Museum, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29th/30th October 2001, lot 503; and a third, dated to 516/517, from the Stoclet collection, sold in our London rooms, 11th May 1965, lot 121.

The cult of the bodhisattva Padmapani, known as the "lotus bearer” – a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, or Guanshiyin in Chinese, was especially popular in the Northern Wei period, as demonstrated by the preponderance of Padmapani figures in the surviving number of bronze votive figures, especially large-scale figures of this superlative quality. This much revered deity of compassion and mercy was an emanation of the oldest of the five cosmic Buddhas, Amitabha, and was believed to have created all things animate as well as being the personification of the all-pitying one and the power of creation, represented by the padma or lotus flower held in his hand. As seen here, Padmapani is generally portrayed in a majestic standing posture, holding his symbol, the lotus flower, in his right hand over his shoulder, signifying purity and spiritual elevation. He is dressed like an Indian prince, with the elegant folds of his dhoti hanging down over his knees.