TIBET, 14TH-15TH CENTURY

This elegant figure of Buddha Vajrasana (Tib. thub pa rdo rje gdan) is cast in the traditional posture of meditation. Seated atop a double-lotus base, he displays the bhumisparshamudra, or earth-touching gesture, calling witness to his enlightenment. A small vajra sits atop his lotus throne, identifying him as a particular form of Shakyamuni, the sage of the diamond throne. The aquiline nose and beaded and incised hem of the figure’s robe, which wraps around the proper-left arm, point to the Newar influence on the style of this Tibetan bronze and suggest that this figure was created at the height of this style’s influence. The wide, yet compact features of this figure’s face closely match those of the large gilt-bronze figure of Shakyamuni sold at Christie’s Paris in June 2018 (Fig. 1). Few examples share these stylistic details. Both figures have a short neck, full and round shoulders and the robe’s hem draped over the left shoulder comes to an end in the shape of a swallow’s tail. A copper plate marked with a double vajra on the present example is evidence of this sculpture’s formal consecration and appears to be the original seal.