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拍品專文
This large and magnificent image of a buddha demonstrates the preeminence of Tibetan sculptors in the fifteenth century, who through exquisite modeling and lavish application of gilding were able to create works of exceptional quality that captured the spiritual loftiness of Buddhist art.
The figure sits in the mediative dhyanasana pose over a finely-cast double-lotus base with thick beaded rims at top and bottom and a band of incised foliate scroll running along the bottom edge. The buddha’s hands are held in bhumisparshamudra, and the fingers are artfully cast, with fingernails and palm creases carefully delineated. The heavy sanghati is draped over the left shoulder, its hems incised with additional foliate scroll, and the folds fall across the powerful contours of the body beneath. Above the short neck delineated with three auspicious lines, the face is centered with a bow-shaped mouth, aquiline nose, and heavy-lidded eyes below a highly arched brow and a spiral-form urna. The lobes of the ears are elongated and curve outwards, mirroring the arc of the circular face. The hair is depicted in tight, snaillshell curls over the conical ushnisha, which is topped with a knop.
The presence of the vajra resting at the top of the base before the seated figure invites discussion about the identity of the buddha. Traditionally, such images of a buddha seated with their hands in bhumisparshamudra and a vajra resting before them have been identified as the Transcendental Buddha Akshobhya, meaning "He Who is Unshakeable." Akshobhya Buddha is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. Akshobhya is associated with the eastern direction and is Lord of the second of the Five Buddha Families described in the tantras; he is also featured in the corpus of Mahayana sacred literature, most notably the Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra. The great Tibetan yogi, Milarepa, and the important scholar, Sakya Pandita, are known to have achieved complete Buddhahood in Abhirati, the Pure Land governed by Akshobhya. In recent years, such images have conversely been recognized as representing the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. According to this school of thought, the vajra at the top of the base signifies Vajrasana, another name for Bodh Gaya, the location where Shakyamuni achieved enlightenment.
Regardless of the exact identification, the present image is a masterpiece of Tibetan metal-casting, exuding dignity through his graceful countenance and grandeur from the rich gilding.
The figure sits in the mediative dhyanasana pose over a finely-cast double-lotus base with thick beaded rims at top and bottom and a band of incised foliate scroll running along the bottom edge. The buddha’s hands are held in bhumisparshamudra, and the fingers are artfully cast, with fingernails and palm creases carefully delineated. The heavy sanghati is draped over the left shoulder, its hems incised with additional foliate scroll, and the folds fall across the powerful contours of the body beneath. Above the short neck delineated with three auspicious lines, the face is centered with a bow-shaped mouth, aquiline nose, and heavy-lidded eyes below a highly arched brow and a spiral-form urna. The lobes of the ears are elongated and curve outwards, mirroring the arc of the circular face. The hair is depicted in tight, snaillshell curls over the conical ushnisha, which is topped with a knop.
The presence of the vajra resting at the top of the base before the seated figure invites discussion about the identity of the buddha. Traditionally, such images of a buddha seated with their hands in bhumisparshamudra and a vajra resting before them have been identified as the Transcendental Buddha Akshobhya, meaning "He Who is Unshakeable." Akshobhya Buddha is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. Akshobhya is associated with the eastern direction and is Lord of the second of the Five Buddha Families described in the tantras; he is also featured in the corpus of Mahayana sacred literature, most notably the Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra. The great Tibetan yogi, Milarepa, and the important scholar, Sakya Pandita, are known to have achieved complete Buddhahood in Abhirati, the Pure Land governed by Akshobhya. In recent years, such images have conversely been recognized as representing the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. According to this school of thought, the vajra at the top of the base signifies Vajrasana, another name for Bodh Gaya, the location where Shakyamuni achieved enlightenment.
Regardless of the exact identification, the present image is a masterpiece of Tibetan metal-casting, exuding dignity through his graceful countenance and grandeur from the rich gilding.