The Buddha's disciple Ananda

In China, the Buddha Shakyamuni is often shown accompanied by two disciples, the youthful Ananda and the aged Kashyapa. Here, the slender and elegant Ananda is draped with a shawl with a decorative edging, and his hands are poised in the gesture of carrying an alms bowl and a staff. Ananda is made in the Tibetan Buddhist style, with the typical lotus throne with elaborate petals. Engraved in the copper plate below it are the crossed thunderbolts. From the inscription we know that this piece was commissioned by Jiao Ning, a eunuch in charge of the Ming-dynasty imperial stables.