215 - SEATED BRONZE RESTGILD BUDDHA CHINA WITH INSCRIPTION

SEATED BRONZE RESTGILD BUDDHA CHINA WITH INSCRIPTION Dimensions: Height 23,5 cm Wide 16 cm Depth 13,5 cm Weight: 1963 grams A seated Chinese bronze Buddha with extensive surviving or renewed gilding, shown cross-legged on a double-lotus pedestal. The face is calm and symmetrical beneath tightly arranged curls, with elongated earlobes and softly arched brows. One hand is raised with the palm facing outward while the other extends open beside the knee, creating an unusually welcoming, balanced gesture. Broad folds of the robe cross the torso and gather around the legs, where gilding remains especially visible on the raised ridges. The sculpture's present surface is one of its most striking features. Bright gold survives in irregular islands across the face, chest, robe and pedestal, while darker brown bronze and green oxidation remain visible between them. The result is not a uniform decorative coating but a layered surface in which gilding, wear and patina reveal different stages in the object's history. The lotus base is carefully modelled with two tiers of broad petals and provides a strong visual foundation for the calm seated figure.