A Sino-Tibetan gilt and red lacquered bronze figure of Maitreya, probably 17th century or earlier, modelled seated in lalitasana with right foot resting on a lotus, wearing an ornate headdress and holding a stem of lotus in each hand, on a double lotus moulded throne, height 29.5cm. Provenance: the Alain Presencer Collection. Note: Maitreya is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, and is viewed as the direct successor of Gautama Buddha.