The Daoist deity Doumu

This goddess, as her name implies, is the mother of the seven stars of the Northern Dipper, the constellation also known as Ursa Major. It is unclear when worship of the Dipper Mother began, but she did not gain prominence until the 1400s when she appeared in the Daoist canon. This porcelain sculpture, combining Buddhist and Daoist elements, shows the Dipper Mother, with a third eye in her forehead, sitting on a lotus throne and wearing a crown. Worshiped for longevity and affluence, Doumu holds in her eighteen arms various symbolic implements, among them sacred weapons and insignia. The finely sculpted hands and face are distinctive features of Dehua porcelain.