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Lot Essay
The detailed modelling of the drapery with concentric cascading folds seen on the current figure follows a style termed Udayana, corresponding to the kingdom of Udayana, now modern-day Swat Valley, Pakistan. From this region similarly robed images of Maitreya, the bodhisattva who would become the Buddha of the Future Age, were transmitted along the early Silk Road to China. These figures, with hands in abhaya and varadamudra, embodied a message of the coming salvation of all sentient beings.
See a slightly smaller 18th century standing figure of Buddha with comparable intricate modelling of the robes and also with hands in abhaya and varadamudra, which sold at Christie's New York, 13 September 2011, lot 374.
A gilt copper alloy example, dating to the Qianlong period (1736-1795) was included in the Sotheby's New York selling exhibition, Footsteps of the Buddha: Masterworks from Across the Buddhist World, 3-23 September 2013, no. 28.
See a slightly smaller 18th century standing figure of Buddha with comparable intricate modelling of the robes and also with hands in abhaya and varadamudra, which sold at Christie's New York, 13 September 2011, lot 374.
A gilt copper alloy example, dating to the Qianlong period (1736-1795) was included in the Sotheby's New York selling exhibition, Footsteps of the Buddha: Masterworks from Across the Buddhist World, 3-23 September 2013, no. 28.