A COPPER ALLOY FIGURE DEPICTING BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI WITH SILVER AND COPPER INLAY Tibet, 13th/14th Century

Shakyamuni with eyes and urna inlaid with silver and lips with copper, with hair covering a tall ushnisha in tight blue-painted snail curls, his right hand in bhumishparsha mudra with copper-inlaid fingernails, the left resting in the mudra of meditation, the Buddha dressed in a close-fitting diaphanous robe with beaded and patterned hems inlaid with silver and copper, seated in vajraparyankasana on a lotus pedestal with a vajra cast in relief on its upper surface

Christie's Amsterdam, 18 November 1996, lot 118.

Good overall condition with silver inlayed urna and eyes with copper inlaid lips, fingernails and beading at hem of robe. With traces of cold gilding on head and neck and polychrome to hair. Areas of accretion and oxidation consistent with age. Traces of polychrome at base. Body separately cast from base. Two of three placement lugs now missing. Stable 1" crack at lower back. Small areas of breakage at Dhoti pleats below feet. Casting flaw at base reverse. Base unsealed.
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This large and imposing Tibetan bronze depicts the historical Buddha Shakyamuni reaching forward with his right hand calling the earth to witness his triumph over the assaults and temptations of the demon Mara. The Buddha is modelled in the classic early Tibetan style drawing on eastern Indian artistic traditions assimilated through close contact between lamas and pilgrims of Tibet’s central regions and the monasteries of Bengal and Bihar in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Buddha’s meditative and compassionate countenance with pronounced eyes and lips, the authoritative poise enhanced by broad shoulders and swelling chest are features reminiscent of medieval Pala period sculpture, see von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pp. 286-91, pls. 71A-73H. Pala bronzes are often inlaid with silver to denote white eyes and red copper for the lips, as in this Tibetan example. Fingernails are highlighted with copper inlay and robe edges are decorated with engraved and beaded inlays of silver and copper, cf. Tibetan thirteenth to circa 1300 copper and silver inlaid bronze figures of Buddha in this adapted eastern Indian style, see von Schroeder, Buddhist Sculptures in Tibet, Hong Kong, 2001, Vol. II, pp. 1188-91, pls. 321A-322D.

The vajra cast into the upper surface of the lotus pedestal indicates the adamantine site (vajrasana) at Bodh Gaya, where the Buddha triumphed over Mara (maravijaya) just prior to his enlightenment. Having vowed to remain in meditation until he penetrated the mysteries 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 freedom from rebirth. Aided by spirits who reminded him of the countless compassionate efforts he had made on behalf of sentient beings throughout his many 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 his lap to the ground before him, 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 vajrasana seat at Bodh Gaya, which by tradition was especially empowered to expedite his enlightenment.

Himalayan Art Resources item no. 12924