Nepal, 16th/17th century

Nepal has a celebrated revival tradition whereby later artists emulate earlier styles. The present figure is an example of this tradition. Here, the artist has reinterpreted an earlier image, such as the eleventh century bronze figure of a seated Buddha, illustrated below. The present example retains the principle features of the earlier work: a single figure seated on a rectangular base backed by a halo. However, in the present example the artist has made slight alterations, such as removing the smaller secondary halo and shortening the length of the ribbon on the base to add two small elephants. These subtle changes represent both the personal aesthetic of the artist and the stylistic trends of the time.