A rare inscribed gilt bronze Figure of Buddha Sakyamuni China, Ming Dynasty, Chenghua period, dated 1467

seated in dhyanasana with hands in dhyana mudra upon a high lotus pedestal of upright and pendent lobed lappets, dressed in long robes spreading over the base and wrapped around one shoulder to leave the chest bare, the slightly squared face with open eyes and large nose above a bud mouth, flanked by large ears and framed with high studs of hair, the usnisha terminating in a bud finial, the bottom edge of the rear base inscribed Chenghua sannian ... (equivalent to 1467)

Sotheby's London, 19th December 1980, lot 159.

Ulrich von Schroeder, Indo-Tibetan Bronzes, Hong Kong, 1981, pl.150D.

The inscription can be translated 'In the third year of Chenghua, the Right-hand Director of the Directorate of Imperial Apparel, Wu Neng, starting out for Perfect Enlightenment, made this image of the Buddha'.

No other gilt-bronze seated figure of Chenghua mark and period appears to be recorded and only one other dated Chenghua figure appears to have been published, the standing Buddha figure in the British Museum, which is dated to the same year, illustrated in Schroeder, op.cit., pl.150F, and included in the Museum's exhibition Buddhism: Art and Faith, London, 1985, cat.no.302. The art of casting Buddhist sculptures flourished during the Yongle and Xuande periods, when a large number of figures were produced, and was revived again in the Qing dynasty; however very few figures in this style are known from the mid-Ming period, even undated. The present Sakyamuni figure is remarkable for its bold modelling and heavy casting, making generous use of the metal.