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Lot Essay
The present figure of Buddha is seated in vajrasana, the classical diamond posture, recalling the seminal moment when he attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya where the Mahabodhi temple now stands.
The buddha sits atop a beaded double-lotus base, noteworthy for its somewhat vertical profile, with a slight tapering at the waist. With his right hand, he touches the ground in the gesture of bhumisparshamudra, asking the earth to bear witness to the truth of his teachings. He sits in front of a yungdrung symbol, known to decorate the soles of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s feet, also occasionally translated to mean nirvana or eternity.
The present work displays aspects of the influence of the Nepalese style of sculpture on the bronze image making of Central Tibet, while also demonstrating the development of signature ideas within Tibet. His close-fitting sanghati, with delicately beaded and incised hems, is draped over his left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare. This is an indication of the Newar influence on this style of Tibetan bronze and suggests that this figure was created at the height of this style’s influence. Nepalese influence can also be seen in the lithe, yet defined physiognomy of the Buddha’s body, with broad shoulders and thick tapering arms.
The head is supported on a short neck which may reference the main image of Buddha at Bodh Gaya, which is depicted with a short neck. His face is full in the cheek and chin, with a sharp nose, plump lips, and wide, elongated eyes, characteristic of images from Central Tibet. His sinuously-arched brows are centered by a raised urna and flanked by the pendulous earlobes of a prince. His elongated earlobes, weighed down by the heavy earrings of his former princely life, represent his rejection of worldly goods.
This figure’s Tibetan origin is also displayed in the ushnisha or cranial protuberance of the Buddha, which has traces of ultramarine blue, an expensive pigment made from crushed lapis lazuli. The application of blue pigments to the ushnisha was a uniquely Tibetan custom.
The buddha sits atop a beaded double-lotus base, noteworthy for its somewhat vertical profile, with a slight tapering at the waist. With his right hand, he touches the ground in the gesture of bhumisparshamudra, asking the earth to bear witness to the truth of his teachings. He sits in front of a yungdrung symbol, known to decorate the soles of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s feet, also occasionally translated to mean nirvana or eternity.
The present work displays aspects of the influence of the Nepalese style of sculpture on the bronze image making of Central Tibet, while also demonstrating the development of signature ideas within Tibet. His close-fitting sanghati, with delicately beaded and incised hems, is draped over his left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare. This is an indication of the Newar influence on this style of Tibetan bronze and suggests that this figure was created at the height of this style’s influence. Nepalese influence can also be seen in the lithe, yet defined physiognomy of the Buddha’s body, with broad shoulders and thick tapering arms.
The head is supported on a short neck which may reference the main image of Buddha at Bodh Gaya, which is depicted with a short neck. His face is full in the cheek and chin, with a sharp nose, plump lips, and wide, elongated eyes, characteristic of images from Central Tibet. His sinuously-arched brows are centered by a raised urna and flanked by the pendulous earlobes of a prince. His elongated earlobes, weighed down by the heavy earrings of his former princely life, represent his rejection of worldly goods.
This figure’s Tibetan origin is also displayed in the ushnisha or cranial protuberance of the Buddha, which has traces of ultramarine blue, an expensive pigment made from crushed lapis lazuli. The application of blue pigments to the ushnisha was a uniquely Tibetan custom.