A GILT COPPER ALLOY FIGURE OF BUDDHA VAJRASANA


TIBET, 15TH CENTURYHimalayan Art Resources item no.61648 23.5 cm (9 1/4 in.) high
|西藏 十五世紀 銅鎏金釋迦牟尼坐像The presence of the small vajra before Buddha's ankles references Shakyamuni's enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India. Its appearance in this 15th-century Tibetan bronze, distinguishes the subject from the Presiding Buddha, Akshobhya, who resides in a celestial abode, and is shown seated in the same posture. Finely modeled with long limbs and a slender body, this gilded figure demonstrates a different, Tibetan perception of the idealized body from Indian models. For another example of this body type, see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp.442-3, no.119C.ProvenanceFreddy Hansen, Copenhagen, 1970