Seated Figure of the Official of Earth (Di guan), Ming dynasty, 16th century. Bronze with gilding, 180.3 x 121.9 x 96.5 cm. Saint Louis Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 169:1919.

Poised to hold a now missing sacred tablet, this larger than life bronze sculpture is from a set of identical deities that sat in a temple. The large size and fine quality of this work required that it be constructed from intersecting pieces like a big puzzle. But despite its great weight of over 2,000 pounds and its overwrought scale, this sculpture is finely proportioned and beautifully composed. Although seated in a formal manner, the figure is animated by the flow of its voluminous robes from shoulders to feet. The deity's eyes, lips, and clothing retain touches of gold.