A pure copper, gilt-bronze seated statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. Samantabhadra is one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Buddhism, presiding over the virtues of principle and practice; he symbolizes the vow to put the Buddha-Dharma into action and to bring salvation to all sentient beings. In this sculpture, the Bodhisattva wears a jeweled crown, holds a lotus stem, and sits upon a lotus pedestal atop the back of an elephant. A flame-shaped aureole rises behind him, while his facial expression is rendered with a compassionate and gentle serenity; the folds of his robes and the textures of the elephant's body are depicted with exquisite detail.