Page 174 - Bonhams May 16, 2019 London Asian Art

Displaying tremendous power and presence, this powerful and large-
scale figure of Buddha Shakyamuni is notable for the crisp casting and
the meticulous attention to detail which is echoed in the gentle folds of
the elegant monastic robes, finely embellished with foliate scrolls and
diaper patterns.

The figure of Shakyamuni is one of the most widely represented
subjects in Buddhist art. Modelled in the earth-touching gesture
or bhumisparsha mudra, the Buddha recalls the moment of his
Enlightenment, in which he called upon the earth as his witness of his
battle against the temptations and attacks of Mara and his demons.
The serene countenance conveyed by the gentle facial features, with
the eyes depicted half closed in meditation and the long earlobes
symbolising long life, follows the standard rules for the depiction of
Buddha to ensure the deity was shown embodying maximum power.

Compare the size, facial features and embellished details of the
present figure with a large gilt-bronze figure of the White Tara, circa
1700, illustrated in Cultural Relics of Tibetan Buddhism Collected in
the Qing Palace, Beijing, 1992, fig.60. Also compare the style of the
present figure with a smaller gilt-bronze figure of Shakyamuni Buddha,
18th century, illustrated by U.Von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes,
Hong Kong, 1981, p.550, no.157A.

172 | BONHAMS