A SILVER-AND COPPER-INLAID BRONZE FIGURE OF MILAREPA

Milarepa is depicted in his classic pose, holding his hand to his ear as if listening to the 'echoes of nature,' alluding to his gift as a singer and poet. Seated in lalitasana on a double-lotus base, holding a skull cup in his left hand and with his right hand raised to his ear, his face slightly tilted in a benign expression, the eyes and lips inlaid in silver, Milarepa dons a copper-inlaid yogic band across his right shoulder. The masterfully-inlaid metals of Eastern-Indian origin took a firm hold in Tibetan sculptural styles and remained popular through the sixteenth century.

Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24472.