Ca. 19th Century; Standing Padmapani on a Lotus base holding the stem of the Lotus in the left hand, the flower blooming at the height of the shoulder. Both of his hands are in Varada Mudra, a mudra that shows the benevolence and charity as well as being associated with emotions of sincerity and compassion. the palm facing outwards and the arm extending downwards. This Mudra is mostly seen in images of deities that enrich, grant boons and help to pacify those that follow them.Many figures of Avalokitesvara display this mudra, as it is thought that nectar flows from one of his open palms to quench the thirst of the pretas (ancestral spirits) that did not gain Nirvana but stayed stuck in samsara as hungry, thirsty ghosts.The Name Padmapani relates to "him that bears the lotus". The name of this Bodhisattva is Chenrezig in Tibetan and is the same as Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Great compassion (in Chinese it is Kwan Yin) . It is a kind of Archangelic being that has uttered an inconceivable vow to save all being is the universe. He has a special mantra: OM MANI PADME HUM. (Hail the Jewel in the Lotus). Chenrezig travels to all realms of the universe to deliver all beings from suffering. In the Jewel-Casket Array Sutra (Karadavyuha) he descended to the hells in which Yama is residing. There he had water flowing from his fingers that emanate from his thousand arms and this magic water water cooled the flames of the molten metal and iron sea. He is together with Tara and Bhrkuti, who are his female colleagues, the most beloved divine being in Mahayana Buddhism. Even today the modern Tibetans believe that His Holiness, the present Dalai Lama is the incarnation of Avalokistesvara, that vowed to be reborn again and again as longtime as needed to free all beings from suffering. Size: L:365mm / W:175mm ; 3.1kg Provenance: The property of a London collector acquired in the early 1990s.