TIBET, PROBABLY 13TH-14TH CENTURY

Cast following the Pala style of Northeastern India, this Tibetan bronze depicts Shakyamuni Buddha in ultimate serenity at the moment of his enlightenment. He sits with his right hand in bhumisparshamudra, the gesture of calling upon the earth as the witness of his enlightenment, with the fingers extended over the edge of the base. His left hand is gently placed in the meditation posture atop his lap. The surface of this statue is rubbed and worn to a smooth patina suggesting that it was treasured as a personal object of devotion. The Buddha’s general proportions, such as the relatively short neck and large head, reflect the stylistic traits associated with the image of Buddha in the Mahabodhi temple at Bodhgaya. Compare the present lot with an earlier Northeastern Indian Buddha sold at Sotheby’s Paris, 16 June 2022, lot 120. Compare, also, the undulating eyebrows and the elongated earlobes of the present work with another bronze figure of Buddha sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 2 October 2018, lot 115.