Ming dynasty, 17th centuryThe deity seated in padmasana, the right hand raised in karanamudra and the left holding a cup, dressed in long robes decorated with flowers at the hems, wearing ornate jewellery and a crown set with a small figure of Amitabha Buddha.H. 37 cmProvenance:Collection Jan van Haaften (1869-1904), commander of the guard of the Dutch legation in Beijing from 10 October 1907 to 1 August 1909, thence by descent to the present ownerNote:Van Haaften wrote a book, Drie jaar op wacht in China (Three years on guard in China), which was quoted in A Qianlong Legacy - The Censer of the Dutch Embassy by Schelling, Wesseling, Jansen & Hendriks, published to celebrate the return of the famous censer, now in the Capital Museum, by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing: "On the day of his arrival Van Haaften remarks, everything in the embassy seemed to be very European. While taking a walk over the embassy grounds, however, he made an exciting discovery: "