Buddha Vajrasana Gilt copper with painted details Tibet

The important and finely cast gilt copper image of Shakyamuni Buddha, dressed in a diaphanous monk's robe, with his right hand reaching forward in bhumishparsha mudra touching the separately cast lotus pedestal on which he is seated in vajraparyankasana, the left hand resting in the meditation position, with the Buddha's face and neck painted in powdered gold and polychrome according to the Tibetan enlivening ritual, the gilt domed ushnisha protruding above the finely delineated hair curls painted azurite blue according to Tibetan tradition.

Berti Aschmann Collection
European Collection 1961

Helmut Uhlig, Das Bild des Buddha, Safari Verlag, Berlin, 1979, p. 180, cat. no. 107, illus. p. 183.

The bronze is in an exceptional state of preservation. Wear to the gilding is confined to the tips of the fingers on the right hand and to the beading of the lotus pedestal. Small dents to the surface on the left and right knees and on the right hand, but all very minor. Larger dent at upper left arm. The lower back of the Buddha and the under rim of the thigh area is bent inwards so that the lug at the rear of the statue does not now locate into its slot in the lotus pedestal. Two lugs beneath the knees locate into the slots at the front of the lotus pedestal. There are scratches on the upper surface of the base close to the slots where the Buddha has been removed and relocated over the ages. Accretion all over but heavier on the lotus base. A distinct line of accretion runs around the outline of the statue where it fits onto the base. The base is cast separately from the statue and the statue was originally cast in two parts- the right arm is cast separately and joined just above the elbow. A thin seam is just visible in the catalogue illustration. This is the original joint. Numerous squared off casting repairs evident beneath the gilding over all. The statue of Buddha has lost its consecration plate and similarly the lotus pedestal is now un-sealed. The face is painted with powdered gold and pigments which cover an earlier application clearly visible at the back of the neck. Small chips and scratches on the painted areas of the face, including the tip of the nose, reveal the fire gilding intact and probably in perfect condition beneath. Although it is difficult to say when the current paint was applied to the face, it has certainly been untouched since the statue came into a European collection in 1961. There is no restoration to the statue or pedestal.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The iconographic form in which this rare Tibetan sculpture of the historical Buddha is seated, with his right hand in the earth-touching position, bhumishparsha mudra, recalls a momentous episode from his spiritual biography in which he triumphs over Mara just prior to his enlightenment. Having vowed to remain in meditation until he penetrated the mystery of existence, Shakyamuni was visited by Mara, a demon associated with the veils and distractions of mundane existence. The Buddha remained unmoved by all the pleasant and unpleasant distractions with which Mara sought to deflect him from his goal. According to some traditional accounts, Mara's final assault consisted of an attempt to undermine the bodhisattva's sense of worthiness by questioning Shakyamuni's entitlement to seek the lofty goal of spiritual enlightenment and the consequent freedom from rebirth. Aided by spirits who reminded him of the countless compassionate efforts he had made on behalf of sentient beings throughout his numerous animal and human incarnations, Shakyamuni recognised that it was his destiny to be poised on the threshold of enlightenment. In response to Mara's query Shakyamuni moved his right hand from the meditation position in his lap and touched the ground stating " the earth is my witness". This act of unwavering resolve caused Mara and his army of demons and temptresses to disperse, leaving Shakyamuni to experience his great enlightenment. The episode took place at the adamantine throne, vajrasana, beneath the bhodi tree at Bodh Gaya, eastern India, a location said to have been especially empowered to expedite the Buddha's enlightenment.

 

The exceptionally fine and radiant sculpture is one of the largest and most important early Tibetan gilt bronze figures of Shakyamuni Buddha outside Tibet. The statue remains in pristine condition, with a seamless covering of rich mercury gilding over the meticulously cast figure and separately made pedestal, the face and neck painted with powdered gold and pigments in accordance with Tibetan ritual practise. The character of the sculpture is wholly Tibetan, yet certain Nepalese artistic references are discernable. The style of the simple undecorated close-fitting robe and the way in which it falls in low linear folds around the legs and torso, with flat undulations of the hem at the left shoulder, is remarkably similar to the Jowo Rinpoche, the most sacred religious icon in Tibet, housed in the Lhasa Jokhang and judged by some scholars to date from between the 11th and 13th century, and to be of Nepalese workmanship, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, pp. 926-9. The physiognomy is also similar, with both statues displaying large and prominent chins. The present circa fifteenth century statue of Shakyamuni Buddha may thus also be of Nepalese workmanship, and made in the style of the much-revered Jowo Rinpoche. Compare also a fourteenth century gilt copper Shakyamuni Buddha, also in the Lhasa Jokhang, with a similar close fitting robe with tight linear folds across body and legs, and furthermore with the statue cast separately from the base, see ibid, p. 1031, pl. 255E. The pedestal style confirms the dating to at least the fifteenth century with strings of large spherical pearls running above and below the full and rounded lotus petals with a complex and elegant flourish at their tips, cf. a large fourteenth or fifteenth century lotus pedestal photographed at Densatil monastery in Tibet prior to its destruction, see ibid. p. 1011, fig. XVI-9. The fabulous decoration of the monastery is known to have been the work of Newar artists.

 

The pristine condition of the statue, with its gilding almost entirely intact, clearly indicates it's highly regarded Tibetan status, where it is likely to have been placed in an exalted temple location out of danger of accidental damage or handling by devotees.