Maitreya Bodhisattva

MONGOLIA

Maitreya stands with feet apart on a simplified lotus pedestal that rests on a square openwork base. Incorporated onto the pedestal is an open aureole with a flaming rim that progresses upward to a similarly patterned oval nimbus. The mounded topknot of the figure is decorated with a stupa at the front and ornamented with a crest jewel. The slim Bodhisattva has the right hand lifted in vitarka (teaching) mudra while holding a vase in the left hand. A sacred thread hangs down from the left shoulder to thigh level, where a nearly transparent lower garment, diagonally overhung by a belt, outlines the legs. The slight tilt of the waist causes it to flutter to the right.