TIBETO-CHINESE, 18TH CENTURY

Vaishravana is the most commonly depicted of the Four Guardian Kings; he is considered the leader of the yakshas and swore an oath of protection in front of Shakyamuni. He is also considered to be a wealth deity and as such borrows some of the attributes from the Hindu god, Kubera, including the jewel-spewing mongoose and the rotund belly, a common symbol of fecundity across multiple civilizations.