Plaque, D38.329

A thick clay tablet with a figure in relief impressed upon it. The figure is seated in European fashion with the feet resting on a small lotus throne. The hands are clasped together across the chest in a mudra (conventional Buddhist symbol). The facial features are worn off. The figure is surrounded by a nimbus. Identified by visiting Tibetan monks (2/91) as Jampa-gonpo (Tibetan name) or Maitreya (Sanskrit), the next earthly buddha to come.

Locality: Western China

Collected by: Dr Edith Huntley