Dehua Porcelain Ksitigarbha with Staff and Flaming Jewel

Monastic robes, a ringed staff and a flame-shaped jewel identify this seated figure as Ksitigarbha. The staff is supplied as a separate gold-toned attribute, while the jewel rests close to the body. A rounded lotus pedestal gives the composition a low, stable center of gravity.

These attributes have a long history in Buddhist art. An eighth-century Ksitigarbha plaque in the British Museum already pairs the monk's staff with the wishing jewel; its curatorial record notes that the staff's six rings can refer to the six worlds in which Ksitigarbha acts. The meaning lies in guidance and compassionate resolve, not in the staff as a weapon.

Across East Asian Buddhist practice, devotees turn to Ksitigarbha for steadfast protection through difficult passages, for the welfare of children and travellers, and in remembrance of those who have died. The ringed staff expresses his vow to reach beings across every realm; the flaming jewel is a light carried into darkness. In a home or altar setting, the figure gives form to filial devotion, courage and the wish that no one in suffering be abandoned.

Three finishes make that meaning available in distinctly different presences. Jade White is warm and approachable, Pure White is quiet and contemplative, and Red Glazed Lotus places the strongest auspicious color at the base. With three heights, this is a substantial devotional sculpture rather than a generic decorative figurine.

• Origin: Dehua, Fujian, China
• Material: Glazed Dehua porcelain with a separate gold-toned monk's staff
• Figure: Seated Ksitigarbha with staff, flaming jewel and lotus pedestal
• Finishes: Jade White; Pure White; Red Glazed Lotus
• 25 cm size: 25.0 cm H × 14.5 cm W × 12.5 cm D / 9.8 in H × 5.7 in W × 4.9 in D
• 28 cm size: 28.0 cm H × 17.5 cm W × 15.0 cm D / 11.0 in H × 6.9 in W × 5.9 in D
• 35.5 cm size: 35.5 cm H × 21.5 cm W × 17.0 cm D / 14.0 in H × 8.5 in W × 6.7 in D
• Dimensions are hand measured; slight variation is expected