In the Buddhist tradition of Central Java, under the Sailendra dynasty, the use of precious metal for the making of small devotional images is well documented, gold and silver images having been found in recorded hoards. Precious metal images are rare compared to those cast in bronze not only because fewer were made, but also because the chances of escaping the jeweller's crucible were slim. These figures, which appear to have survived as an original triad, represent the bodhisattva (saviour figure) Avalokitesvara, accompanied by two female deities, Taras.