119 - SHADAKSARI LOKESHVARA BRONZE NEPAL 19TH CENTURY

SHADAKSARI LOKESHVARA BRONZE NEPAL 19TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 23 cm Wide 17 cm Depth 13,5 cm Weight: 1900 grams A richly worked bronze of four-armed Shadakshari Lokeshvara seated in meditation upon a broad double-lotus throne. His principal hands meet before the heart, while the outer hands lift a lotus and a string of prayer beads. An elaborate crown rises above the tranquil face; circular earrings, layered necklaces, armlets and embroidered-looking folds of cloth lend the figure an almost jewelled density. The scrolling ends of the scarves frame the crossed legs, and greenish patination with pale surface deposits settles into the finely chased recesses. Shadakshari is a compassionate form of Avalokiteshvara closely associated with the six-syllable mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. The joined hands express devotion at the heart, while the rosary evokes repeated recitation and the lotus suggests purity and spiritual awakening. Such images translate the practice of compassion into a carefully ordered visual form, uniting stillness with the activity implied by the four arms. The bronze reflects the enduring importance of this bodhisattva across the Himalayan Buddhist world.