POLYCHROMED CAST-IRON FIGURE OF MANJUSHRI MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY 明 鑄鐵文殊菩薩騎獅座像 the bodhisattva cast seated in lalitasana on the back of a lion, his body elaborately jewelled and hair fashioned in a high chignon enclosed by a three-leaf crown, beaded jewellery further adorned before his low-slung dhoti, the bejewelled beast stands on all fours supported on a low plinth with its head upturned and mouth ajar, with traces of red and blue pigment, engraved with dedicatory inscriptions on the back of his body(84cm high)Provenance: Property of a Lady in Edinburgh, acquired from Christie's South Kensington, 26 Feb 2008, lot 121