A CHINESE GILT-BRONZE FIGURE OF BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI

18TH CENTURY

Seated in dhyanasana wearing flowing robes incised with foliate and geometric designs at the borders, holding the alms bowl in his left hand and with his right hand in bhumisparsha mudra, with cold painting to his lips and the irises of his downcast eyes, all raised on a double lotus base incised to the reverse with swirls, the baseplate with a visvavajra mark and two paper labels for Artemisia, 34cm, 3.6kg.

Provenance: purchased from Artemisia, Alresford on 24th January 2006. A copy of the invoice is available.

The iconography depicted presents the historical Buddha in the earth-witness gesture. This refers to when Shakyamuni triumphed over the demon Mara, who was attempting to divert him from his objective of becoming enlightened through meditation. When Mara challenged Shakyamuni's right to enlightenment, Shakyamuni moved his hand from his lap to touch the ground with his middle finger, calling the earth to witness his entitlement to spiritual enlightenment. Shakyamuni's unshakable resolve forced Mara and his army of demons to flee; moments later, Shakyamuni attained enlightenment.