Carved elephant tusk

Carved elephant tusk. The lower half is encircled with four dancing figures amongst scolling foliage. The upper half is carved with four standing Buddha figures. These are the four previous Buddhas of this era: Kassapa, Konagamanda, Kakusanda, and Gotama. There is another standing Buddha figure within the upper cagework, who represents Metteya (Maitreya, the future Buddha). The tusk is set on a once-painted, wooden lotus base atop a stepped and indented platform.