Yonghe Temple: Dharma Protector

CHINA, Beijing; Qing dynasty

This Dharma protector has a ferocious demeanor with large staring eyes and a fanged mouth. The figure wears a five-foil crown with buoyant ribbons and large ear pendants, with flame-like hair rising from the head to frame the crown. Both the pendants and crown are ornamented in the same style. The figure wears a floral-patterned undergarment with crossover collar beneath a fringed surcoat with billowing sleeves. A medicine pot is held in the left hand and a wish-fulfilling gem is in the right hand. A serpentine stole rises behind the body and rebounds from the base. The Dharma protector sits in the relaxation posture upon a lotus throne with the right leg supported by a conch shell mounted on a vase. Two small human figures at the sides are crushed beneath.