TIBET XVe SIÈCLE

= Statue in gilded copper alloy representing Shakyamuni Buddha seated in vajrasana on a double lotiform base, hands in bhumisparsha mudra, eyes half-closed, smiling slightly, forehead adorned with the urna and hairstyle in small blue curls topped with the ushnisha, the finely chiseled habit. A vajra is placed before him. The base not sealed. H. 18.5 cm PROVENANCE German private collection, then by descent. NOTE This beautiful image of a Buddha demonstrates the preeminence and total artistic mastery of 15th century Tibetan sculptors. The figure rests on a lotiform base, with a band of pearls at the top, while the lower part is enhanced by a fine scrollwork. The sculptor has also endeavored to retranscribe the fineness of the shanghati, allowing the modelling of the flesh to appear underneath it in transparency. It is the same for the hands whose nails are perfectly defined and the lines of the hands are chiseled. The face is elegant, the aquiline nose surmounted by finely executed eyes, the expression serene and full of compassion. The artist has captured the grandeur of the Buddha but also his humanity. This iconography of a Buddha with a vajra resting in front of him on the base is particularly interesting. Traditionally, this iconography with the hands in bhumisparsha mudra and the vajra is attributed to the transcendental Buddha Akshobya ("The Unshakable One"), one of the Five Buddhas of Wisdom, associated with the color blue and the cardinal direction of the East. He represents the consciousnesses and the expression of wisdom. However, in recent years, it has been argued that this iconography is that of Shakyamuni Buddha because the representation of the vajra on the base signifies Vajrasana, which is the ancient name of Bodhgaya where the Buddha attained enlightenment. This hypothesis is reinforced by the mudra of taking the Earth as witness, a gesture that accompanied the historical Buddha's enlightenment in Bodhgaya. CONDITION REPORT Wear to the gilt, traces of oxidations, the base unsealed