This magnificent large statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, depicted at the moment of enlightenment, pays testament to the skill of Newar artisans working in Tibet or the border regions of Dolpo in the 13th / 14th century.

During the 13th century, the Tibetans embarked on an extensive program of monastery construction and refurbishment funded by wealthy landowners, kings and religious leaders. The Newar artists from the neighbouring kingdom of Nepal were famed for their exquisite aesthetic sense and foundry skills, and were much in demand to build and decorate the new Tibetan monasteries.

Up to the 13th century, the principal influence on the development of the Tibetan sculptural tradition had been the bronzes of medieval eastern India, with numerous examples having been brought to Tibet from the motherland of Buddhism. However, spiritual and artistic contact with India waned following the virtual demise of Indian Buddhism in the 12th century, brought about by Muslim invasions. Thus, up to this point, Tibetan artistic taste had to a great degree been inspired by spectacular Pala bronzes, which were for the most part not gilded but often inlaid with copper and silver, and frequently inset with brightly coloured stones to complement the metal inlay. When the Newar artists were commissioned en masse in Tibet in the 13th century they brought their mastery of fire gilding to the mix, added to their finesse in subtle and sensuous sculpture. The resulting bronzes were often both inset with brightly coloured stones and silver, as the Pala bronzes often were, and richly gilded like almost all indigenous Nepalese bronzes, thus producing an amalgamation of stylistic elements that is uniquely Tibetan of this period.

In the Nepalese tradition, the sculpture is brilliantly gilded and richly decorated with sumptuous gem settings, including lapis lazuli, turquoise and coral intricately inset in lozenges around the headband and at the shoulder. The Buddha is robed in a simple diaphanous cloth clinging closely to the body, with only the edges showing a band of decoration consisting of a repeated chevron design. The Newar sculptural aesthetics of grace and sensuous modelling imbue the statue with serenity, while the Tibetan love for opulence is seen in the depth and variety of colour in the jewels. Fine coral and turquoise are amongst the most highly prized gems in Tibet, worn by both men and women and offered as adornment to the Gods. The combination of coral, turquoise and lapis lazuli is not seen in the jewellery of statues made in Nepal where garnet and emerald colours are used in combination with light turquoise blue and the midnight blue of lapis, often coloured glass.

For a closely related crowned Buddha enshrined in Yangster Monastery, in the Dolpo border regions, photographed by D. L. Snellgrove in 1960, see Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, p. 339, where von Schroeder attributes the sculptures in the shrine unequivocally to Nepalese Newar artisans primarily from the Kathmandu valley. Compare also a closely related gilt-copper alloy sculpture of Shakyamuni, depicted with a triumphal crown reflecting his attainment of enlightenment, sold in our New York rooms, 21st March 2002, lot 79, from the collection of Philip Goldman.

The Buddha is depicted seated in vajraparyankasana, the right hand held in bhumisparshamudra and the left in dhyanamudra. The earth-touching gesture of bhumisparshamudra recalls an episode from his spiritual biography in which he triumphs 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, which caused Mara and his army of demons and temptresses to disperse, leaving Shakyamuni to experience his great enlightenment, is a moment skilfully captured in this exquisitely modelled and brilliantly gilded large sculpture.

釋迦牟尼佛像，莊嚴寧靜，造型碩大，展現十三、十四世紀紐瓦爾風格特徵。

十三世紀，西藏大興土木，修繕並廣設佛寺，當時尼泊爾一帶，紐瓦爾工匠以成熟精美之藝術風格聞名，遂得廣招入藏，建設新寺、鑄造佛像。

屆時藏傳造像風格多得東印度佛像藝術傳統影響，許多中古世紀東印度佛像依隨佛教傳播傳入藏區，至此西藏造像以帕拉風格為主流。而紐瓦爾鑄造工藝已臻高絕，鎏金厚實，常綴多樣寶石及彩料，為十三世紀藏傳佛像帶來新風貌。此像造形成熟流麗，寬額低髮際，寬厚肩膛，白毫嵌綠松石，姿態自然，瓔珞華貴，屬古典紐瓦爾風格，乃本時期造像特徵。本像根據尼泊爾傳統而製，鎏金華麗，寶冠及肩部飾青金石、孔雀石及珊瑚等，佛袍簡約透亮，貼近身軀，僅邊沿處飾人字紋。佛像寶相祥和靜謐，造型流暢，展現紐瓦爾造像美學特質，其濃烈多變色彩，則顯西藏文化喜愛富麗華貴之風。珊瑚及孔雀石受藏人珍重，男女均喜以之作為配飾，亦用於供奉神明。尼泊爾重要珠寶多以石榴石、翡翠等色澤配合淺藍之孔雀石及深藍之青金石，多屬帶色彩之琉璃，而非本品之珊瑚、孔雀石及青金石色彩組合。

參考一尊近類造像，D. L. Snellgrove 攝於1960年代，供於尼泊爾德爾帕地區，Yangster 寺院，錄於烏爾里希·馮·施羅德，《Indo-Tibetan Bronzes》，香港，1981年，頁339，作者斷其出自加德滿都河谷的紐瓦爾工匠之手。比較另一尊鎏金銅釋迦牟尼像，施觸地印，曾為 Philip Goldman 舊藏，售於紐約蘇富比，2002年3月21日，編號79。

本像採跏趺坐姿， 右手作觸地印，左手作禪定印。觸地印紀念釋迦牟尼降魔得道之事蹟，釋迦牟尼起誓不悟道不離座，欲界天魔之首摩羅，悉其成佛覺悟之願，心生惡念圖擾阻之，釋迦牟尼卻對脅迫誘惑不為所動。據典，摩羅質問釋迦菩薩，生乃宮廷貴族，憑何悟道成佛、超脫輪迴，試圖作最後一擊，毁其修禪。釋迦念及過去種種因緣，前生輪迴所歷劫難、所作佈施，已抵成佛之際，故堅定地垂右手觸地，令大地為證，摩羅與其手下群魔頓時悉皆迸散，釋迦成佛，悟三明四諦，證無上正等正覺。本像工藝精湛，鎏金華麗，紀念釋迦成佛時刻。