A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAIROCANA, LIAO DYNASTY

A GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF VAIROCANA

LIAO DYNASTY

遼 銅鎏金大日如來佛坐像



beautifully cast, the seated deity in vajraparyankasana with the hands in the 'fist of widsom' or 'lightning' mudra, crowned with a tall diadem with the five Tathagata Buddhas set in medallions relief-cast over a ground of incised scrollwork and tied with streaming sashes, a rock crystal or glass urna inset above demilune brows, half-closed bowed eyes, and an aquiline nose, the body adorned in elaborate jewelry and draped robes, supported by a blossoming lotus throne raised on a faceted and stepped pierced octagonal base, covered overall in a rich gilding, Japanese wood box (5)

Height 8⅝ in., 21.9 cm