200 - COPPER REPOUSSE PLAQUE DEPICTING BUDDHA NEPAL 16TH CENTURY

COPPER REPOUSSE PLAQUE DEPICTING BUDDHA NEPAL 16TH CENTURY Dimensions: Height 7 cm Wide 5 cm Depth 0,3 cm Weight: 10 grams A small Nepalese repoussé copper plaque with a seated Buddha raised in relief beneath a pointed arched surround. The figure is modelled frontally with the upper body emerging clearly from the thin hammered sheet, while the surrounding border is articulated with repeated petal- or flame-like units. Despite its miniature scale and exceptionally light weight, the plaque has surprising depth, created entirely through the controlled working of the copper from the reverse and the sharpening of details from the front. Repoussé was a particularly effective technique for sacred metalwork because it could create an image with the visual presence of sculpture while using only a thin sheet of precious or semi-precious metal. In Himalayan art such plaques could form part of larger shrines, ritual objects, architectural revetments or composite images. The technique rewards close inspection: small changes in the hammered surface catch the light differently, making the Buddha appear to emerge from the surrounding field. The present plaque retains a complex surface of warm copper, dark oxidation, green corrosion and traces of brighter colour in the recesses. That varied patina gives the tiny object considerable visual richness and preserves the handmade character of Nepalese repoussé work.