A spiritually resonant gilt-bronze votive altar attributed to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386–535 CE.) This golden age Buddhist artifact depicts Maitreya, the Future Buddha, with legs pendant seated in the Bhadrasana pose elevated on a four-legged dais, flanked by a pair of roaring guardian lions, in front of a leaf-shaped mandorla incised with rhythmic flame patterns, and partially legible inscriptions on the back revealed that the votive statue was dedicated to the ancestors to gain spiritual merit. With significant areas of the original fire-gilding remaining, glowing against the warmly oxidized chestnut colored bronze bearing heavy encrustations of malachite and cuprite, a testament to centuries of burial or exposure to the elements. This small altar possesses a "living" surface that speaks not merely of an object of beauty but of a focal point for faith. Maitreya represents the promise of future enlightenment and the benevolence of a teacher yet to come. Placing this Maitreya shrine in a home or meditation space is an act of connecting with that promise of peace and wisdom.